The Soul Taker: Bloodlust
by Reibai no Kami
Summary: Currently suspended. A long-running fic based on The Soul Taker anime. 1st ST fic on !
1. Default Chapter

_Chapter 1: Chained to Fate*_

            _Security's gotten lax here. It's getting easier…_

            The elevator chimed.

            _…or I've gotten better at this. She thought._

            The elevator chimed again and came to a halt.

            She pointed her gun towards the doors. "Only God knows what could come through there."

            The elevator chimed again.

            "…the hell. Open up!"

            _Ding…_

_            Ding…_

            "I don't have the patience for this right now!" she shouted at the doors. Leaning back she kicked at them, hoping to jar them loose.

            _Ding…_

_            Ding…_

            She kicked at them again, harder.Don't MAKE me scuff these new slippers because of you, she thought.

            _Click..._

            The elevator's shaft grinded in its bearings and the doors unlocked.

             "She's not gonna keep me away that easily." She retorted, forcing open the doors.

            Despite standing a scant five-foot-three, she considered herself a force to be reckoned with. But her jet-black hair looked like a mismanaged mop, and her eyes were showing signs of tiredness. She was looking paler than usual, and she hadn't eaten in days.

            Coming out of the elevator with caution she surveyed the corridor. The walls needed a fresh coat of paint and specks flaked off whenever she came into contact with them. _My clean clothes…damn you. She thought with annoyance._

            She pressed against the far wall and inched around the corner. "You'd think she'd at least paint this floor. It looks obvious, Yui." She whispered to the wall. 

            She cocked her gun and scanned its surface. It was starting to show its scars. It never looked the same way after Shiro had thrown it out the window by mistake.

            He still owed her for that one. 

            A shuffle caught her attention. This is it, this time it's really it. It'll be over.can go on with my life…

            She side-stepped the corner, pointing the gun towards the open area of the corridor. She had planned everything she wanted to say at that moment months ago, but it seemed to suddenly slip her mind.

            Clank. Her .22 fell to the floor.

             "Yui…what is this…?"

            But the gangly, blond woman across the room didn't respond. She simply continued to play with what appeared to be her newest toy.

            "Yui!"

            Nothing...

            "YUI!"

            Nothing...

            "YUI KIRIHARA!"

            Nothing…

            She was being to run out of patience. "Answer me…respond you…you…"

            The confusion ended and reality slowly caught up. She picked up the .22 and pointed it back at her target.

            Yui half-turned towards her. "What do you want Keiko? This isn't for you to see yet." 

            Keiko cocked the pistol. "You whore. You make me sick."

            She dismissed the comment. "Happy Birthday, by the way. Nice to see you've survived so long, considering…"

            Keiko's rage began to rise. "Tell me what this is."

             "It's what you think it is." Yui responded flatly. "Isn't he nice-looking? Nicer than the picture,must say." She tousled his hair, but he refused to make a responce.

            Confusion and disgust began to intermingle in her rage. "Then who is he?"

            Yui smiled faintly. "Do you still read the obituaries, Keiko?remember that you always insisted on reading them when you were in the Hospital."

             "I had to. My friends would disappear from the ward andwould use the obituaries to know if they were still alive. If they appeared thereknew they weren't coming back."

            "And did that comfort you? Knowing that they…"

            Her rage boiled over. "SHUT UP!"

            "…knowing that it was…"

            Keiko felt herself losing the battle. "Stop it." 

             "…that it was…"

            "Stop it!" 

             "…all for the best…"

            Her heart rate accelerated. Her weakness was catching up to her mind.

            "…all so this boy could be freed."

            All she could do was stare. The vision invaded her mind.

            Chained to the wall. In an alcove. In some deserted floor.  Slumped over from having been restrained for so long.

            Insanity began to enter the situation. Keiko put her hands to her head, dropping the gun once again. She couldn't look.

            That could have been any of them, any of us, she thought.

            "Keiko dear…" Yui taunted.

            Keiko looked up out of instinct.

She grabbed the young man's hair and yanked his head up, causing him to grimace in response. 

             "Do you recognize him? Hmm?"

            Keiko stood dumbfounded, having lost her sense of reason to the situation. "He's just a boy…why…what do you want? You don't even love your own child! You have to have someone else's too?!?"

            She let him go and he slumped back over "You still don't understand, do you? Haven't you seem him before? You always were a little on the stupid side."

            Keiko had a flash of a memory, a newspaper from the previous week. But it didn't fit. He looked different. But it wasn't of concern now. 

            Yui clapped her hands together in mock delight. "Dosee someone's mind actually working? Even in that strange state you're in! Yes, he was found wandering a local graveyard last week. Hehad been pronounced dead, but you know…"

            Keiko ignored Yui's babbling and interrupted her. "I'm gonna ask you again. Let him go. This is sick."

            Yui smiled sweetly. "Make me, dearie."

            Instinct kicked in for Keiko and she went for the gun once again. Not bothering with an aligned shot, she fired it as soon as she was upright enough to hit Yui.

            Within a blink, Yui disappeared and the bullet embedded itself in the wall behind where she had been.

             "A hologram…" Keiko muttered, looking at the floor. "I should have known. Butam a little on the stupid side." She retorted, mocked Yui.

            She looked up and saw the chains dangling empty. The boy had simply vanished. She has never heard him, and it seemed that it wasn't the chains holding him there at all.

            Rage took over again as she launched her gun at the empty alcove. It smashed into the wall and clanked to the floor. 

            "Shiro was right…damn it all. And damn them all to Hell."

            She looked over at where the gun had landed. Its barrel was cracked and part of it had broken completely off. "He can buy me a new one. He owes me for this anyway."

            Keiko straightened her now sloppy-looking white kimono and purple obi, and walked back down the hall.

             "Yeah…he owes me for forcing this on me. This wasn't my battle anyway…at least not that part of it." she muttered on her way into the elevator, not completely prepared for whatever her mother planned on launching her way.

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*Denotes chapter titles which are lyrics from _Live's "Throwing Copper" CD._

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_Chapter 2: The Confusion Sets In_

             "Shiro, I'm home!" Keiko yelled out when she returned to his place.

            Well, it was sort of his place. It had been procured under suspicious circumstances for her and he had just never left.

            And it looked like a small dump. 

            No, it just looked like he lived here.

            The furniture was limited to a small faux wooden dining table with two chairs and an old-fashioned beat up couch, both bought second-hand.  Keiko's bedroom had only a bed, and Shiro slept on the floor in his room, removing the need for another one. The kitchen was tiny, and had only enough room for a small upright fridge and an ever smaller stove.  The walls were standard cinder block, and were painted what she referred to as "prison-wall yellow." They couldn't afford carpeting; or anything distinctly modern, and the telephone and answering machine were the most hi-tech items in the place. 

            It's better than being in the Hospital though, she always reminded herself.

            There was a note on the dining table – 

            _K-_

_                        Check the answering machine._

_                                                -S_

             "Of course he's too lazy to write a note." She said aloud. She wadded up the paper and tossed it into the garbage can. She walked over to the answering machine, which had taken a place on the floor in the corner for some unknown reason.

            Punching the "Play" button on the machine started the tape running:

            Message One:

                        _BEEP!_

            "Wrong number."

            Message Two:

                        _It's me, Shiro. Happy 19th Birthday, doll-face! Sorry I'm not here _

_                        right now, but something unexpected has come up. There's _

_                        no food in the fridge, sorry. I'll bring home Ramen noodles _

_                        for diner hopefully. Hope things went alright today, but if _

_                        not think things will         be getting easier. There's a rumor _

_                        regarding a change in the security system floating around,_

_                         and it sounds like it'll be simpler to hack up and…BEEP!_

            "Heh, he ran out of time. Whoops."

            Message Three:

                        _Me again.__ Damn tape. Anyway ,left  something_

_                        for you on the couch. Figured it was time bought it for you. _

_                        And…umm…if you're in that state, there are a few things in the _

_                        fridge. Let me know if any of its…edible. They came from a _

_                        guy down on 9th, so I'm still not sure about the quality. _

_                        I had to pay extra for the one so you sure as hell better enjoy it! _

_                        Ha-ha., catch you late doll!_

            The machine clicked off.

            On the couch was a hard silver gun case. It wasn't too surprising. He owed her it.

            Keiko was more interested in what was in the fridge. Walking over and opening it showed no big surprises; it was empty. Reaching on the top of the interior she pulled on a handle, popping open a hatch lodged in the space between the freezer and the fridge.

            Three plastic blood donor bags fell out.

            She picked up the top on and read its label. "I wish he wouldn't buy from the guy down there. Weird @#%$ comes out of that area." She looked over the information. Standard protocol in hospitals required ID, so names and dates were always available on the packaging. And if not frozen the blood went bad in a matter of a few days.

            The top bag's expiration date was 24 hours ago.

            "Rotten." She threw it in the trash.

            The second bag's blood was inedible.

            "Wrong blood type.said only A, AB, or O, Shiro."

            The second bag joined the first in the trash.

            The third bag was nearly unmarked:

                        Name: -

                        Date Taken: -

                        Exp. Date: -

                        Type: AO

            She stared at it. "This is a gag, right? There is no type AO." She thought for a second. "It must be AB and they mislabeled it."

            Not that she cared at the moment. 

            Keiko got out a bowl, slit open the bag, and poured part of it in.

            She shook the bowl slightly. "It's…runny. It shouldn't be so thin from being in the fridge." She sighed. "Oh, who cares?" She got a spoon from a plastic cup by the sink and sat down at the table with the bowl.

            She stirred the contents around. _This wasn't what wanted for dinner. She thought. But I might not get anything else. The chances of him remembering to bring home Ramen are like none. He can't remember what he was doing five minutes ago, let alone five hours._

            She tried it. It tasted strange. Not necessarily bad, just different. She pondered it. "Maybe it's some new genetically engineered thing."

            That idea didn't thrill her. _I really don't care about that right now though._

            She finished off the bowl and the rest of the bag in silence, and then tossed the bag away. She cleaned the bowl and spoon, and left them in the sink.

            _And now I'm bored. She thought leaning on the sink. _

            "I could play with my new toy." She mumbled aloud.

            Even that seemed boring. 

            She checked her watch. "I bet he doesn't come back 'till after dark."

            She sighed. "I might was well take a nap and go out later. There's nothing to do right now."

            She walked over the couch and put the gun case on the floor. She flopped down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling for a little while. At some point she passed out.

                                                                        *

            The sound of a key in the front door woke her hours later.

             "Yo, doll, I'm home!"

            She was groggy. "Hi Shiro."

             "I brought someone home with me!" he yelled from the door.

             "I wish you'd stop bringing home strange women. This place already stinks of cheap sex." She stated flatly.

            "It's not a woman." He told her leaning over the cough's back.

             "Since when do you like men? Did I miss something?" She asked still-half asleep.

            He whacked her over the head with a small throw pillow. "It's not like that!"

            Now she was awake. "Don't hit me! Jackass!" She returned the hit with the pillow she had been sleeping on. 

            He whacked her again. "Vamp!"

            She returned the hit again. "Idiot!" 

            He had grown tired of the insults. "Gimme that!" He grabbed the pillow from her and tossed it aside. "Get up so you can meet him." He walked away from the couch.

            Keiko didn't like taking orders, but she would do what he wanted…eventually.

            She leaned back on the chair's arm. "I can't believe you wore that suit outside. Pant-stripe suits areso out of fashion right now. Besides, it's ugly as sin."

            "And you know all about sin, don't you?" he snorted in response.

            "Jerk. And did you bring home fish tonight instead? It stinks to high-heaven all of a sudden."

            "Aww, now you've hurt his feelings. Such a brat, she is."

            _What? She thought._

            "And that's not fish, that's whale you smell." He told her.

            Confusion was setting in. There wasn't even a lake in the area, let alone an ocean. Seeing whales were not a likely occurrence in this area, and smelling like one seemed out of the question.

            "Alright, what's the deal?" she asked standing up and stretching.

            There was a moment of silence. 

            "Do you know her or something, you got this weird look on your face," Shiro whispered.

            It was enough to get her to turn around.

            _Oh my god. She thought, putting her hands over her mouth._

            "What's a matter, doll-face? You look like you've seen a ghost." He giggled stupidly. "Ghost! Ha, that's almost rather funny in this situation. Then again suppose it's not so funny on the other side of the joke…"

            She regained some sense and interrupted him. "Shut up, Shiro."

            He didn't seem to mind the comment. "So what's the deal, you two know each other or something? It's someone you've bit before right? Or is it…"

            "We met this morning under less than desirable conditions."

            She had a flashback of the obituary from the previous week again.

            "And saw his picture in the paper last week."

            Shiro pondered that. "Ohh…okay…I see…I see…" He nodded in response.

            Keiko walked over to where they where standing. The smell was horrid.

            Now I remember why hate fish. She thought.

            She offered her hand to him to shake. "I'm…so sorry…'bout this morning. Hope she didn't hurt you or anything…" 

            He took her hand and gave a small smile. "No, she didn't."

            Keiko felt overwhelmed suddenly. The feeling was strange and foreign. Not necessarily unpleasant, but strange none the less.

            She started to babble. "…because she's just…she's very sick...very sick…I've been trying to put a stop to her nonsense but…"

            He squeezed her hand. "It's alright. Really. I'm fine." He told her calmly.

            She blushed and looked down. I feel so stupid now. She thought.

            Shiro coughed for her attention. "I've got to run right now. Can you help Kyosuke get settled, he's going to be staying with us for a while it seems."

            Keiko realized that she was still holding onto his hand. She dropped it suddenly and crossed her arms across her chest.That was the name is the paper alright – Kyosuke Date, she concluded. This is just a little too much for me to deal with right now.

            "Yeah, sure Shiro." She told him quietly.

            "I'm gonna take off now, doll. So you two are on your own."

            "Alright."

            Shiro was slightly miffed. "I'm waiting for some smart-ass comment, Keiko. How long are you going to make me wait? You knowjust can't give you a chore and not get one." He waved his finger in the air. "It's like the prize in the box of cereal people used to be able to get." 

            She kept her head down. She just couldn't look at them right now.

            Shiro finally took note of her discomfort and asked Kyosuke if he would step in the bathroom and give them a min. He did so in silence.

            Keiko looked up at him leaving and then turned to Shiro.

            "Where did she have him?" He asked quietly.

            "Eighth floor. Tied up in chain to the wall. She was…playing with him…like he was her lover or something."

            His interest had been aroused. "And?"

            "I was jealous…I wished for the first time was her."

            He just laughed. "Like didn't notice your interest in him just now. I'm not that stupid. 'Could tell there was something going on here." He put a hand on her head and ruffled her head. "Then don't screw this up." He winked at her and ducked out the door.

            "I am so not good at this kind of thing." She said aloud. "This could get rather ugly….despite how good he…it…IT… looks." She put her hand to her forehead.

            She locked the door and pondered how to deal with the situation.

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_Chapter 3: Sanity Walks Away_

            "I'm just gonna play this simple." Keiko reminded herself.

            The bathroom door slammed and the shower started up.

            She slumped against the wall. Didn't have to handle that one, score one for me and my weakling attitude.

            She walked back in front of the couch and the case caught her eye. Sitting down, she brought it up into her lap.

             "Let's see what model the guy made him buy."

            She unlatched it and looked inside.

            There was no gun.

             "Oh not today, things are already weird enough!" She complained. 

            Inside was a six-inch glass panel and it's black, square base. 

            "I didn't want a video screen. I don't even watch television." She whined.

            But she set it up on the floor and plugged it in anyways. It powered itself up and began to buzz. The screen flickered and a picture appeared.

            There was no news.

             "Is this one of those player ones? That sucks. It doesn't play anything live.don't have anything to put in it either."

            Keiko reexamined the box and found a player chip in the bottom. She held it up and looked it over. It had no identification label.

             Someone recorded this privately. She concluded. This unit came off of the street. It's probably "hot" too.

            She inserted the chip into the base and propped it back on her lap. The program booted and started.

            An elder gentleman's face appeared on the screen. 

            Keiko's blood went cold. She stood up, allowing the screen and base to fall to the floor.

            His voice had been computerized and the shock to the unit caused it to go into an endless loop.

            "I know where you are…I know where you are…I know where you are…"

            She kicked the unit across the room, letting it smash into the wall.

            But the recording simply skipped and got stuck again.

            "I know he's there…I know he's there…"

            It was all she took take. She stormed over to the malfunctioning screen and smashed her fist down into it.  But it continued to repeat itself. 

            She smashed it again with a scream, bloodying her hand.

             "Make it stop…make it stop…" she chanted, throwing the black at the far wall. 

            It continued to play.

            She grabbed it again and threw it, this time at the bathroom door.

            It stopped.

            She sank to the floor and covered her face with her hands.

            The front door rattled and Shiro came in.

            He shook her shoulders and begging for an answer.

            But he just didn't seem to be there. Nothing was there. The world was fading away and reality was going with it.

            "Wrap it." Was all she heard.

            She instinctively went into the bathroom.

            She could hear the water running, but she didn't comprehend it.

            She could see herself bleeding, but she couldn't understand it.

            Keiko put her hands in her hair and screamed.

            Warm water dripped on her and she felt warm.

            She could feel herself calming down, but the video screens' image burned in her head.

            I smell blood, she thought. Who's bleeding?

            "It's almost time." Someone said.

            The warmth started to pull away and her composure waned. 

            "Time for what?" Someone asked.

            "Absolution." Someone answered.

            Keiko regained her self-control and reality regained a hold.

            She was right where she expected that she was, kneeling on the floor being held onto by Kyosuke who knelt behind her.

             "Are you alright now?" he asked quietly.

             "I think so." She told him, turning partly around. "You're shivering. Why aren't you trying to stay warm?"

             "I don't think can move. Don't feel like I can." He told her gingerly.

            She pulled a towel from the towel bar and threw it over him. He put his head on her shoulder in response, his hair dripping onto the front of her shirt.

            Keiko turned around in place and faced him.

             "I have something to confess." She told him quietly.

             "What?"

             "I was jealous of her." She told him. "Touching you that way."

             "That touch… made me…feel strange..." He said quietly. "I didn't like it. It's not something I'm used to."

            Her heart sank. It wasn't going to work. "I'm sorry. I'll get up now." She told her, starting to pull away.

            He locked his eyes on her.

            She ran her hand over a still-healing wound. "I'll be gentle. I promise. It won't be like with her."

            He closed his eyes and put his head back on her shoulder. "Alright."

                                                                        *

            The bathroom door slammed.

            Shiro lit up a cigarette at the kitchen table. "Those two are hopeless, I swear." He took a drag and leaned back in the chair to yell at the door. "You've got until dark. We're leaving for the church then, 'member?"

            No response. 

            He laughed.

            Shiro relaxed and took another drag. "Hopeless, but not loveless I guess. Heh. Good for you two. Enjoy it." He sighed and looked at the cigarette. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

            He snubbed it out in disgust.

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	2. TST:BL Ch 4 though 6

_Chapter 4: The Truth is Gonna Give Up the World_

            Shiro puffed away on his third cigarette of the evening. "Well?" he asked.

             "Well what?" she asked with annoyance. Keiko shifted in her seat on the floor.

             "You know what."

            She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't think that's any of your damn business." 

            He puffed. "Heh heh. Don't wanna tell me anything?"

            "Pervert!" She said a bit too loud, causing Kyosuke to look over at them briefly.

            "You're way too loud when it comes to him, doll-face." Shiro told her.

            "Shut up."

            "Heh heh."

            "Anyway, what's he doing over there?" she asked him.

            "He said he's looking for something."

            "Duh. You are so not helping my attitude right now, by the way."

            Shiro snubbed out the used cigarette. "Well fine then. Ask him instead."

            "I did. He wouldn't tell me anything."

            "Hm. Not good."

            "Why?" she asked.

            "Because your relationship will stalemate very fast."

            "What do you know about relationships? You brought home half-a-dozen girls in the last three weeks." She pointed accusingly at him.

            "Just trust me."

            She stood and looked at him. "You're psycho-babble isn't going to work on me this time. I don't buy that Three-Part-Heart thing or that Four-Part Connection deal. It's all a bunch of garbage."

            He looked at her with seriousness. "Mark my words; you're going to find out the truth in the system. Saki convinced me of that."

            Keiko sighed. "Yeah well, whatever. I still don't buy it." She waved it off. "I'm going to dig the box up now. It's getting that time."

            He looked over his lighter. "No problem doll."

            She took a step and then stopped. "Shiro, why is all of their stuff in the church? I don't get that." 

            He eyed her. "His mother, Mio, was incredibly dedicated to this church .As soon as the church's pastor heard what had happened, he had all of their belongings to the church as a her final donation."

             "So the pastor stole their things from their house, to supply his church with things he could sell for cash?"

            He simply shrugged. 

            "What's this world coming to?" She asked as she walked towards the back of the church.

                                                                        *

            Shiro strolled over to where Kyosuke was shifting through his mother's belongings. He lit another cigarette. "You find what you're looking for?"

            He tossed aside a candelabrum. "Not yet."

            Shiro picked up the old, silver candelabrum and looked it over. Selling it could make him some quick cash. "So…umm…"

            Kyosuke eyed him. "What?"

            Shiro could not beat around the bush anymore. "You enjoy yourself with her?" he asked jokingly, putting his hand on the back of his head.

            Kyosuke scowled at him. 

            Shiro put down the silver candleholder and backed up a step. "Sorry man, I'm just trying to look out for her interests."

            "I think that goes beyond simple interest." He told him, going back to digging in his pile.

            Shiro sat down on the floor and puffed. "She's the only real family I got man; I've got to take care of her."

            He softened. "She's your niece right?"

            "Yep."

            "Can I ask what happened to  her family?"

            "I don't think she'd mind if you asked her."

            "I meant…" Kyosuke started.

            "I know what you meant," Shiro told him getting off the floor. "I just think it'll be better coming from her."

            "I suppo...," he stared to say, then changed his mind.. 

            Kyosuke pulled a high-density diskette out of the pile. "I found it."

                                                                        *

             "The diskette's no good?" she asked him while removing stone blocks from the church's alter.

             "No." Kyosuke told her, sitting down on the stone floor beside her. "And neither is the computer. The system's infected with something now."

             "Shiro's good at that stuff, did you ask him to try and remove it?"

            He leaned back in his seat and looked up at the crucifix on the back wall. "He said it was 'designed by the Kirihara Group' and the chances of him being 'able to get it off are slim to none.'"

            She sighed. "They make it hard to live, don't they?" She knocked over several more of the altar's bricks and pulled out a large wooden box.

             "Shiro says I'm their number one enemy now." He told her quietly.

            Keiko pulled the box on the floor and dusted it off. "That's no honor. It's not fun being hunted." She told him, mildly disgusted with him.

            He looked at her with concern. "I realize that." He sat up and looked at the box's lid.

            On the top of the box, inscribed in kanji was – 

                          _He__ who wields that within, opens oneself to darkness._

            Keiko opened the box. 

            Inside was a set of Tokugawa-era samurai weapons.

             "These belonged to my Grandfather, Satoshi Kirihara. They are supposed to have been cursed upon their creation, and contain Masamune blades made from the steal of ever older swords."

            Kyosuke simply stared at her. 

            She removed the _katana(1) but left the __wakazashi(2) and  __tanto(2) in the box. _

             "He was rumored to have been a monster, a vampire perhaps, but it's unfounded speculation." She continued. She tied the _katana to her __obi. "Three days before he was killed he showed me where he kept them, and I have continued the ritual cleaning of them since."_

            Kyosuke sat in silence.

            "There. There's your answer to what happened to my family. I don't know my father very well, and my Grandfather …is…is dead. My mother is Yui Kirihara, the woman who put a price on your own head." She told him, pointing at him.

            He finally broke his silence, staring at her sternly. "Why didn't you tell me who you were?"

            She ignored him for the moment and called over to Shiro. "I've taken what I want. Come for the box when it's time."

             "Gotcha!" he yelled over to them, waving.

            Kyosuke stood and stared at her intently. "Why didn't you tell me?"

             "Tell you that that  whore is my biological mother? It's not of concern. I have no connection to her. She may have given birth to me, but she's not a mother to me." She told him as she started to walk away.

            He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "But you're still a Kirihara."

            She looked at him. "Only in name.  

            A moment of silence passed between them. Then blood trickled down his cheek from his left eye.

             "There is nothing in a name. I am tied to it, but only to have a chance to change things. I am not a Kirihara in blood."

             "You choose to have the name. It doesn't matter now." He told her. He let go of her and stepped around her.

            Keiko crossed her arms across her chest. "I will not let myself be punished for my namesake. Not even by him. I carry it in honor of Satoshi, not Yui." 

            She turned and looked at the crucifix. Looking at it bothered her for some reason.

              God abandoned me, why should I care if I become darkness? I enjoy embracing to the world that way. Those who are all-good don't survive, they get stepped on by Fate..  She pondered.

            A moment of silence passed in the church.

            Shots rang out and a young girl screamed.

            But Keiko could not bear to look.  He would see me cast out for my family's name, yet I am supposed to come to his sister's rescue? And these Flicker things aren't even really his sister. Why should I help? What's in it for me now? Why should I sacrifice myself for someone who can't see past my name? I will not let myself be used anymore. I am not a pawn anymore. Not anymore…

            She knelt next to the wooden box and pondered her fate.

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1. A Chinese/Japanese long sword – around 28" long.

2. A Chinese/Japanese short sword – around 18" long

3. A Chinese/Japanese knife –around 15" - used usually in place of the _wakazashi__._

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_Chapter 5: I'll Look at You, You'll Look at Me_

            Keiko nudged Shiro in the arm with her sword. "A little hyper, don't you think? Hope his real sister ain't like her." She continued to polish the  katana with her  obi.

            He looked at her and chuckled. "I'd be careful wearing that without a belt or something. It'll fall right open. And ya know, that would be a terrible thing."

            She brought the hilt of the sword down on his head.

             "OW! Damn you, what's your problem all of a sudden?!?" he asked, rubbing his head with his hand.

             "Sorry, I have issues." She went back to cleaning the sword.

             "No crap. Relax." He stopped rubbing his head. "I know you don't like the girl, but you could at least put up with her for Kyosuke's sake."        

             "She's annoying me! She keeps ranting about going and killing all of the Kirihara Group."

            Shiro shook his head. "Why do you care what she says? Asuka doesn't know who you or any of the real Kirihara are."

            Keiko tied her purple _obi back on. "I know. But I'd rather not be reminded about my Kirihara relations right now."_

            Shiro suddenly looked at her. "Before…you said 'his real sister.'"

             "Yeah, so?"

             "Well she said she  is Runa."

            Keiko leaned back against the wall and watched the goings-on across the church. Asuka, the petite, purple-haired girl dressed in rags, had taken apart her gun and was cleaning it to perfection. She continued to rant on about how it was Kyosuke's duty to destroy the Kirihara conglomerate to secure their safety. She also mumbled something about changing or transforming, but she was not specific. Kyosuke simply sat on the floor, back against the wall, staring into space.

            Keiko thought for a moment, and then looked at Shiro. "You're kidding me, right? I never heard her say that."

             "You were still muttering over the box. You didn't see her grand entrance."

            Keiko laughed. "My god…and I thought I was desperate. She's so willing to put everyone's life at risk for her selfish butt." She sighed.

             "I heard that sigh. What is it?"

             "People like her irritate me, people who want everyone to sacrifice for them, but all they give is grief in return." She told him, putting a hand to her forehead. "I could so go for a drink right now."

             "After this is over, doll-face." He told her, leaning back again the wall.

            Asuka stormed over to them. "You!" she told Keiko, pointing at her nose.

             "What?"

             "Who are you?" She asked, continuing to point

            Keiko looked her in the eye, and pushed her hand away. "That's none of your damn business, as far as I'm concerned."

             "Well if you don't plan on doing something right now, you're going to end up dead!" 

            Keiko shut her eyes and looked away. "Ooh, sounds like fun."

            Asuka raised her voice. "Don't you get it?" She then turned to Shiro, then to Kyosuke. "The Kirihara's hunting troops are coming back any moment! Don't you care?!?"

            Keiko turned to Shiro. "Do we care?"

            He shrugged. "I dunno. Do we care Kyosuke?" He asked, calling over to him.

            Not surprisingly, he didn't respond.

            Shiro chuckled again. "He's no fun when dealing with these Flicker-situations."

            Asuka took a step back and stared at him. "You…you guys knew?"

            Kyosuke stood and walked over to them. "Knew that you weren't my sister? Of course. I got the same feeling from you that I did from the last Flicker. If you were Runa, it would have been a stronger connection."

            Asuka grew nervous, and took another stop back. "But…but how did you know?" She asked Keiko, pointing at her.

            Keiko realized then that she had no idea how she had come to that conclusion.

              Umm…Ya know, that's a damn fine question, she thought.

            She smiled to cover her discomfort. "I'm telepathic. You don't hide stuff like not being a full person terribly well, I'm afraid."

            Asuka stormed away in response.

            Shiro looked at her. "Since when are you a telepath?"

             "Since now." She told him with a shrug, and then sighed. "Let's not discuss this  right now, okay?"

            Bother men simply looked away from her. 

             "So what are we going to do?" She asked.

             "What do you mean?" asked Kyosuke. "What do you mean we?"

            _Oh, here we go again. Keiko thought._

             "You know what I mean, damnit. You're not stupid." She told him, harshly.

            Kyosuke walked away, and rejoined Asuka at the other end of the church.

            Shiro turned to her. "Stop it."

            Keiko simply was not in the mood. "I don't want to. I'm tired of this waiting, I'm tired of being harassed by him about who I am."

             "You're kidding me, right?" Shiro asked. "He has no idea who and what you really are."

             "'…what I am?'" She asked, glaring at him. "I am not a _what, Shiro."_

            He stood and looked down at her. "Don't give me that bull, Keiko. This isn't the time"

              Uh-oh, he said my name. Not good, she realized.

            He continued. "In six days you're going to go waltzing into the streets and repeat a day in history that hundreds, hell,  thousands of people would rather forget. You have no soul that day, do you? No mercy…_Keiko no seishinbyo kanja!"__(1) He pointed at her accusingly._

            She slammed a fist into his gut, causing him to fall back a few steps.

            Keiko shook from anger. "How dare you…You have no idea…"

            Shiro tried to catch his breath, and stayed back from her.

            She pointed back at him. "'I,' the 'I' right here, is NOT the 'I' I will be in six days. 'I' am NOT the same person as the 'Bloody Monday' Murder." 

            He panted. "You aren't…going to be able to hide from it forever…they will one day realize that it's you. They may already have." He regained his strength. "Then what do I do? Turn you in? Let them kill you? Huh? Have you ever considered what your actions do to other people, Keiko?" His last words came out in a full yell, causing Kyosuke and Asuka to look their way.

              No more! She decided.

            Keiko stormed outside.

                                                                        *

            As Asuka had predicted, the Kirihara hunting troops returned on schedule.

            Unfortunately, they didn't come alone. They brought the nerve center for them as well; in the form of a black, four-door sedan.

            But Keiko refused to look at what was going on. She simply choose to ignore the situation and at the outskirt of the church's small graveyard.  She watched the battle from afar, and it didn't seem to be going so well. For all of her enthusiasm, Asuka was not the greatest shot, and could not even make a dent in the sedan's exterior. Shiro barely avoided being run down when the car came at him, and Kyosuke  had managed to get himself run over in the process of saving some other little girl. He had managed to destroy the few remaining mutants that arrived on the scene with the "progressive" knife Shiro had lent him, but the sedan continued to drive in mad circles.

              What's with the saving of strangers? She pondered.  Him and Shiro. I so do not get that yet. And I hate that term "progressive." I have no idea why though.

            Asuka lost her guns and was on the run through the graveyard.

              What am I doing? Keiko wondered.  Why am I still sitting here? I watched him get run down and I just sat here. Maybe I am that soulless monster they think I am.

            The trio took momentary shelter in a grove of trees too narrow for the sedan to get though.

            And the sedan took notice of Keiko's position. It headed for her end of the cemetery.

            She took off running. "Oh I am SO not in the mood for this right now!" She shouted back at the sedan.  Gaining enough of a lead on the car, she stopped and turned around, bringing her face-to-face with the approaching car. She put her sword up in a samurai-fighting stance, ready to take on a one-ton sedan with a quarter-inch of steal.

            The others had left the trees, and Kyosuke started to approach her. 

             "Wait!" Shiro told him, grabbing his arm. "Watch."

            Keiko's hair fluttered about her as the sedan approached. 

            Kyosuke appealed to Shiro. "She's going to get run down, Shiro! Not even I could stop the car fully! And now it's at full-speed!"

            Shiro ignored him. "Just watch."

            When the sedan was within a few feet, Keiko leapt up, letting the sedan finish the last few paces to reach her former position.  She landed on the hood and the shock to the car caused it to spin its wheels in place for a moment.

             "Is it _kendo training, Shiro? I mean, I could only do something like that after training for  years."_

            Shiro shook his head. "No. And keep watching."

            Keiko drove the sword through the center of the car hood, causing the car to rattle internally. It sputtered a few times, and stayed in place.

            There was a sudden moment of silence.

            Keiko ripped the sword out through the side of sedan, slicing open its right-front tire. A short hissing sound was heard, and the car tilted towards that side, coming to a full stop finally. 

            Shiro let go of Kyosuke's arm finally and gave Keiko a few small courtesy claps of his hands. Kyosuke and Asuka stood silently in confusion.

            She scowled at him. "Don't patronize me, Mibu."

             "Bringing out the last names, ouch." He told her in response.

            Keiko turned back to the car and was ready to drive the sword through the driver's side area of the windshield. But something didn't seem right.

            She cocked her head to the side and peered in. 

            Shiro and Keiko reacted almost simultaneously to the vehicle. 

            There was no driver.

             "Get off the car!" Shiro yelled.

            But confusion kept her paralyzed. 

             "Hey! Get down! NOW!" He yelled.

            Keiko watched the windshield fold back on the inside roof of the sedan.

              Huh? She wondered, bending down to the left of the steering wheel to get a better view.  Nothing's there!.

            The remains of the car hood titled up suddenly and she was thrown forward into the front seat. The windshield returned to its original position, locking her inside.

             "Shit!" Shiro yelled.

              Oh this sucks… She thought.  It's really tight in here, I can barely move. I'm not going to be able to get out of here on my own.

             "And that sucks…" She said aloud to the darkness.

            Then things took a turn for the worse. The car's engine restarted.

             "Son of a…" Shiro started. "Back up!" He pushed Asuka back. "It's going to come back at us."

            The sedan turned around in place to face them, but without a tire, it was not going to be moving in any other direction.

            Keiko pounded on the dashboard. "Let me out! Let me OUT!"

            Nothing. The car's engine ran, and it sat in place.

            Keiko brought her fist down on the center of the steering wheel and a clunking noise was heard from the front of the car.

             "Something's loading." She realized. "Oh crap…"

            The sedan adjusted its position slightly and fired a mini-missile, having picked Asuka as its target. 

            But Kyosuke stepped in front of her, taking the hit in the chest. Despite being blown several feet back, blood splattered the windshield, robbing Keiko of her window on the world. She screamed in response, but no one could hear her.

            Shiro started firing again with his gun and the car responded. It reversed suddenly and came to a sudden stop several feet. The cabin tilted upwards, throwing Keiko into the back set.

              DAMN! It's can't just be some damn car! It has to be an Assault Doll(2) too! Her mind screamed.

            Several tense moments ticked by.

            Keiko started to pant.  It's really hot in here all of sudden. Something's on fire She thought, sniffing the air.  Oh man, that's wood burning! The church must be on fire Oh god, Satoshi's box! I'm going to lose it! 

            The temperature continued to rise and Keiko began to hallucinate from the lack of cool air.  She pounded on the hood, but it would be impossible to get though since she was in such a tight position. 

              I can't even increase my power! I can't afford to get any bigger or I'll be stuck for good in here! Damn! Damn! She realized, her sanity starting to give way.

            There was a sudden rush of heat towards the Doll.

             "Oh shit…" She started.

            The Assault Doll's midsection exploded towards the rear, taking Keiko with it. The remains of the machine then fell backwards, landing on top of her.

                                                                                    *

            Keiko crawled on the ground for a few inches to grab her sword from the burning debris. She used it as a cane to force herself upright. She was not in overwhelming pain, but realty had become distorted.

            The explosion had _forced a state change, something she had not been planning for. Forced state changes could result in any number of monstrosities to be created from her. _

            The Doll had been blown up a small incline, allowing Keiko to look down on the cause of the explosion. 

              I didn't think he'd do it. He tried to kill me to honorably save that lying, little brat. She realized.  And they consider me the monster here. For shame!

            Kyosuke had gone though his own transformation to take on the Doll, having taken the form the Kirihara Group had tagged  Soul Taker. Although no real recording of his powers in that state existed, most creatures that actually managed to survive an encounter with him had a decent idea. One shot of his  Lighting Breaker had been enough to take out the Doll. The form was considered a nearly perfect mutant form, supposedly second only to whatever form Runa had.

            But now it was not just the loss of status, it was the pain. It was like looking in the mirror and looking at her destroyer at the same time. Her wings even mirrored his.

              But I can't fly… She wondered.  At least my suit isn't that  ugly.

            To Keiko he looked rather moronic wearing his grey body armor and horned helmet, simply standing there.

              I was once considered the most powerful mutant. I was even once considered the strongest of the "Soul" lines. And now my skills take a backseat to his? Why? What is it I'm lacking? Power? Brute strength? What?!? Keiko pondered. 

            Kyosuke took a step towards her.

            She bared his upper teeth, causing Shiro to respond.

             "Kyosuke, stand down, anything you do she won't remember.  That's the form of 'Bloody Monday.' That is  Kyuketsuki Keiko,(3) the Controller of the  Bloodlust(4) power. 

            He stopped in his tracks, but he showed no fear.

            They stared each other down. 

              I don't have time to deal with this now. She realized.

            Keiko turned suddenly and walked away from the group, and from the situation. She had a massacre to rule over.

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1. Japanese for "psychotic," making her name "Psychotic Keiko." This is one of the "official" name-tags given to Keiko by the Kirihara Group. This is considered one of her many "unstable, fractured soul" states (more information on the name-tagging of states later). 

2. "Assault Dolls" are several varieties of transforming humanoid-style fighting machines used by the Kirihara Group. Literally, they're a form of "mecha" that are assigned to various tasks.

3. Japanese for "vampire," making her name "Vampire Keiko." This is considered an "official" tag, and she is known for having committed acts of amazing cruelty under this persona. It is the only state in which memories are lost (more on this later) and is one of only three "whole soul" states.

4. "Ketsueki Yokubo" or "Bloodlust" refers to an ability thought originally to be only achievable in this state (full vampire status). As one (as a vampire) ingests blood from its victims, the vampire establishes a telepathic connection to the victim. The victim in is then held in the "pain-pleasure" scenario due to the exchange of bodily fluids, and is driven to seek out the vampire afterwards. This constantly strengthens the bond with each encounter. Unfortunately, insanity can be a result of (continued?) exposure to the vampire, and very few are strong enough to survive the initial encounter. It is considered the origin of most vampirism. 

**The term Yokubo ni karareteiru ("motivated by lust") has also been used to describe it, but not as accurately.**

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 _Chapter 6: I've Been Here Before_

             "I still don't understand why we aren't going after her." Kyosuke asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

            Shiro picked the sit across from him and sat down. He moved the ash tray from the center of the table in front of him, pulled a cigarette out of his breast pocket and lit it. "Because she's an out of control mutant with a big sword and pointy teeth. I think that's reason enough to stay put."

            Kyosuke pounded a fist on the table, cause the ash tray to jump. "If she kills someone, it'll be your fault for not stopping her!" he told him.

            He puffed. "Actually, it'll be  your fault. You got her rage going."

              "What?!?"

             "Yeah, ya see, this whole 'Keiko runs around and bleeds people' thing is supposedly triggered by anger."

            He calmed down slightly. "I see. Then how is it stopped?"

             "Do you mean this time, or permanently?"

             "Either."

             "Normally, she runs around for one night, cuts a few people open, and it's over. That night is called 'Bloody Monday' because it happens every third Monday in the month of August."

            Kyosuke eyed him. "And that's six days from now."

            Shiro eyed his cigarette. "Yep. It'll be more than one day, and it'll be more than a few people this time. It's too bad, really."

             "How can you be so calm about this?" Kyosuke asked in disbelief. "She's your family, don't you even care?"

            Shiro snubbed out the cigarette in anger. "It's because I can't stop it. Just like I couldn't stop half of the other crap she's gone through. I couldn't help then, and I can't help now." He leaned back in his chair and looked at the ash tray. "I would help her, I would, but I can't. I can't stop it from happening, and I can't stop her rage."

             "What 'other crap'?" Kyosuke asked quietly.

             "It's a long story; you don't want to hear it." He told him.

             "We have six days; that's enough time, Shiro. And I think I need to know."

            Shiro looked up at him. "Should I even ask 'why?'?"

             "No."

             "Didn't think so." Shiro told him standing up. "I'm going to make some coffee, you want some?"

             "No."

             "Okay. You probably don't want this stuff anyway, all we have is Instant." He told him, looking in the cupboard above the sink. He found the box of packets, opened one and poured it in a mug on the sink. "We'd have a coffee maker, but I broke the pot on it, and it's no good without the pot. Right?"

            Kyosuke didn't answer him, but Shiro had learned not to expect answers most of the time.

            He yawned and stretched. "Yep, a broken coffeepot. I just wish that was my biggest concern." Shiro pulled a small teapot from the storage area below the stove and filled it with tap water. He put it on the back right burner, and turned that burner on. "That would be nice; having my biggest problem be not having real coffee in the morning." He looked over towards the table. "Isn't that right, Kyo-"

            Kyosuke was slumped down in his chair, sound asleep.

            Darn, and I put on coffee for nothing. Shiro realized as the tea pot whistled.

                                                                                    *

            **_The next day…_**

             "Can you go over that again, I couldn't understand you." Asked Kyosuke of Shiro.

            Shiro stuffed the rest of his powered donut into his mouth. "Yeah sure," he mumbled. "I'll tell you again in a minute." 

            The apartment was unusually quiet. The only action has been Shiro suddenly deciding to purchase a video screen to watch television, and abruptly doing so. He was now attempting to eat, hook up the screen to the public television feed lines, and talk with Kyosuke at the same time.

            And he was not doing any of the three well.

             "I think…" he started. "I think I got it this time!" 

            It was the third time he had announced that, and Kyosuke had become doubtful of his technical abilities.  He can hack the Kirihara's mainframe computer, but he can't hook up a video screen. I'm sure there's something wrong with that. He pondered. 

            Shiro attempted to pull himself from under the screen's hookups, and whacked his head on the screen's bottom edge. "Damn! Now I know why I leave this stuff to Keiko!" he said aloud, standing.

            Kyosuke, who had been staring at the same cup of coffee for little over an hour at the kitchen table, looked over at him. "Then why didn't you?"

            Shiro rubbed his head. "The whole point of the screen is to watch what she's doing, I can't exactly wait for her to come hook it up. That wouldn't make much sense, now would it?"

            Kyosuke simply turned back to the coffee cup.

            Shiro turned his attention to the video screen. "Alright, let's see what's on." He said, pushing the "power" button.

            It refused to power up.

             "Huh?" 

            He pushed it again. Nothing.

             "Damn, stupid, techno-crap!" He ranted. "Half on the stuff available nowadays doesn't work worth crap!"

            He was tempted to kick the machine, but after remembering the mess Keiko's "gift" had made, he decided against it. Instead, he joined Kyosuke at the table, opposite him.

            Shiro looked at the coffee cup. "I know I can't make coffee worth two-cents, but if you aren't going to drink it, you might as well pour it out."

            Kyosuke was sullen. "I know."

            Shiro leaned back in his chair. "Don't like my story so far, do you? Or her story, I suppose."

             "No."

            Shiro looked off into space. "I suppose it's quite an ugly story: abandoned by her father at age four, radiation poisoning at five, cancer at seven…"

            Kyosuke put a hand to his forehead. "Stop it."

            Shiro looked at him. "You're the last person I excepted to be squeamish about this."

             "It's not that. It's just that you're so… candid…about all of this."

             "She doesn't shy away from anything that happened, and neither can I for her sake. It's her past that fuels the need for her to find the truth, to have revenge. And we will have it. Change will come, and she will be at the forefront of it. Whether anyone else plans on being there too, remains to be seen." Shiro told him, frankly.

            A moment of awkward silence passed between them.

             "Then finish your story." Kyosuke told him, leaning back in his chair. 

             "Only if you pour out that damn coffee." Shiro replied with a slight chuckle.

            Kyosuke ignored the demand. 

             "Oh fine," Shiro told him. "Be that way. No one listens to me anyway, I'm used to it. But see, if I had told that to Keiko, she would have poured it out over my head."

             "I figured as much." Kyosuke told him with a slight smirk.

            Shiro had a moment of confusion, due to his reaction. "Huh?"

             "Never mind. Just finish the story."

             "Well, umm, after the first stint in the hospital, her mother tried to take her home. But they wouldn't let her. They told her she had some sort of slow-growing cancer that gradually overawes the body."

             "Her mother's Yui Kirihara, I'm surprised they told her no."

             "Most people were, and some people wonder if it wasn't a ploy. That maybe she knew it wasn't just cancer."

             "Hm."

             "Anyway," Shiro continued. "Her mother turned her over permanently to Tokigawa General's cancer ward then, and left the staff in charge of her care. Things seemed normal enough, because many high-society folks had been doing that. This type of cancer had suddenly because more prevalent, and not everyone could devote the time necessary to taking care of its victims.

            Things went on smoothly for several years, I guess. I occasionally got a letter or something from her, and despite being hospitalized, she seemed cheerful. She never saw her mother though, and I know that hurt her. Keiko was one of the only children who didn't have regular visitors. I would have gone to see her, but they only let parents and siblings visit the cancer ward in fear of cross-contamination."

            Kyosuke was puzzled. "But cancer isn't spread like that."

             "Yeah, I know. It was bizarre, but I couldn't do anything about it.  Then one day, when Keiko was eleven, I got a strange note from her. She said she had been attacked by a man who worked in the hospital, and that he had raped her. I went immediately to Tokigawa to investigate, but they told me they had had no complaints with the staff lately, and that I still wasn't allowed to see her. I showed them the letter, but they said it was probably due to a hallucination because the drug then administered to patients caused people to see things."

            Shiro stopped suddenly and rubbed his face with his hands.

            Kyosuke eyed him with concern. "Are you alright?"

             "Yeah. It's just hard to think about the fact that I couldn't do anything then."

             "I can imagine."

            He regained his composure. "Well, three years past, and she never mentioned it to me again in any of her notes. But she said she no longer felt ill, and that she didn't know why she was being kept there. This was also around the time she mentioned a conversation she overheard in one of the adjoining rooms about 'the administering of certain drugs for the Kirihara Group in the past.' She also mentioned how after she had been visited by a man suddenly with a "KG" badge that she had started to feel better. 

            By this time I was convinced that the Kirihara Group was involved in her continued hospitalization, but there was still nothing I could do. About a month later, there was a fire on the cancer ward of Tokigawa General that was burning out of control, and I decided to act. Knowing her condition was good, I knew time wasn't so much of an issue. I arrived at the lunar colony not long before the fire was put out."

             "What did you do?"

             "I kidnapped her from the hospital grounds, what do you think I did?"

            Kyosuke was a bit stunned, but stayed silent.

             "So I brought her back to the surface, and we tried to lay low for a while. But the Hospital has surveillance in nearly everyone's backyard, and they eventually caught up with us. They told us they she was to be turned over to the Kirihara Group for research purposes, and they kidnapped her from our old apartment.  There was nothing I could do; they shot me three times in the chest, and I was helpless to stop them." He ran a hand over her his chest where one of the bullets had hit. "I lost track of her for the next three years.

            When she was fourteen, there was a mysterious explosion at the Kirihara Group's headquarters, and sources reported that some sort of monster was the cause. Surveillance had no record of it, but Keiko's name suddenly disappeared from the daily records. Three days after the explosion she showed up at that door." He gestured towards the front door of the apartment. "And we've been here since. They don't try to storm the apartment any longer, but they've been trying to catch her off-guard. She's a threat to them, just like you, and they plan on stopping her. You two are going to be under constant watch if they put together the fact that you're working together. Heck, I'm sure they've already figured that out, it isn't that far-fetched. Along with Runa, you three are on their number one enemies' list."

             "Then I suppose we are better off being apart, we're just a larger target right now." Kyosuke added.

             "On the contrary, you're better off together, especially since Tokigawa General is hiding behind the Kirihara Group. You have common enemies, and it'll be better to stay teamed up until this is over."

             "You're telling me to go look for her, aren't you?" 

             "Actually, no. She's quite dangerous in her vampire state. The best time to look for her would be on Monday, when the Bloodlust period ends."

             "That's what I don't understand, Shiro. I don't follow the state-change problem ."

             "Basically Keiko has multiple souls, and each one has a different physical makeup that it corresponds too. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as it sounds. She has many souls that are split, making her part evil and part good; and several souls that are fractured; making personality changes a real pain."

             "Sounds…messy...." Kyosuke started, in confusion.

            Shiro stood and stretched. "Don't worry, about it, you'll get it. She tends to show things better than I can explain them."

            Kyosuke was now absolutely confused. "Eh…"

            Shiro slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Now will you please pour out that damn coffee, it's starting to smell."

                                                                        *

            **_Five days later…_**

             "Now remember," Shiro told Kyosuke. "She's probably not going to have any regard for you." He paused. "Or your safety."

            Kyosuke straightened the cape he had been given by Asuka after Shiro's shirt had been ruined. "I know." He told Shiro as he headed towards the door.

             "So you're doing this willingly?"

            Kyosuke added Asuka's soiled pink scarf to the cape. "Yes."

            Shiro scratched his head. "Alright. But you know there's a really good chance she's gonna kill you doing this."

            Kyosuke shot him a look of stoicism and left.

             "Man, they really _are hopeless." Shiro realized. "But he's gonna make my life easier, right?" He recalled what had happened six days earlier, and sighed. "Maybe not…"_

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	3. TST:BL Ch 7 through 9

_  Chapter 7: Like Angels, Pinned Down and Abused _

             "I'm rather disappointed in the results, doctor." A voice muttered in the dim light. "I was expecting you to take care of this problem before things reached this stage."

            Darkness had long reached the eighth floor of the Kirihara Group's Headquarters, but its vice president continued to mill over a troubling file that she had received hours ago. She immediately contacted the responsible party.

             "I promise Ms. Kirihara, that we will get it resolved." A man's voice replied.

            Yui Kirihara stood up from behind her mahogany desk. "You were paid well enough for this not to happen, Dr. Vincent." Yui told him, standing in front of the giant telephone-styled video screen. The screen flickered, and wind momentarily interrupted the connection.

             "Yes, I understand that."

            Yui picked up the file and slammed it back on the desk. "Then why did you not check this before she was allowed to escape?!?"

            The elder gentleman sighed. "We had not planned on her early escape, nor had we planned on Mibu's involvement. But I promise that we deal with the fertility issue as soon as possible."

             "We don't need more of them. Fix this."

             "We will deal with this as soon as possible. You have Tokigawa General's word on this. I promise you that I will personally handle this." Vincent assured her.

            Yui held up the file again. A picture of Keiko was paper clipped to the upper left corner, and the word "FERTILE" was stamped over the typed areas in green ink. "I don't want a promise; I want you to fix this!"

             "Understood." He told her flatly. 

            The screen flickered off and the room went dark.

                                                                        *

            _I'm so tired. Keiko's mind told her. __I'm tired and dirty, and I want to go home now._

            Rain had begun to fall gently as Keiko looked over her reflection in a store front window. Her short _kimono was even shorter, having been shredded on the hem by an out-of-control dog. A good portion of it was spotted in blood, and ripped in short lines, the markings of victims clawing at her for release, and then in lust. Her __obi was in better shape, but it was still spotted with dried blood. Dried blood was in her hair, and on her legs, and a few of the most recent scratches were still bleeding. Mud filled in the few spots that blood had left untouched._

            She wandered into the ally behind the store. "I'm such a mess." She told her self aloud. She still had the urges, having not yet come to the end of the Blood day, but she was too tired to act on any of them. She ended up in the area where the store's side alley met the block's alleyway. "I'm ready to go home now."

            A feeling of discomfort swept over her. _Who's there? She wondered._

            She listened, but heard nothing.

            A shadow moved and Keiko held up her sword. "Who's there?" She whispered.

            Hands grabbed her shoulders from behind, trying to pin her. She turned the   katana upside down, and brought it up under her armpit in a stabbing motion. A small crack was heard, and the assailant let go.

            Keiko turned around and watched Kyosuke take a full step backwards, then a half step sideways, before falling to the pavement on his side unconscious.

            _Kyosuke…I…what did I…? Her mind stuttered._

            Her surroundings seemed blurry, and she just stared at him for a moment.

            Something cold was still in her hands and she stared at what they were holding. The handle of the _katana had snapped off in her hands, and a piece of paper that had been folded up inside the handle floated to the ground. She stared at the writing on the paper, but could not comprehend it – _

                        _A sacrifice has been made to a power of much larger size,_

_                        When angels scream, and devils die, the greater power will arise._

            She threw the handle at a first floor window and it shattered. 

            Keiko's mind then shattered. Her fangs and wings disappeared, and she reverted to her current latent state. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't find the noise to do so. She instead put her arms around her self and knelt on the ground. She watched the blood start to pool in areas, and fill in cracks in the sidewalk.

            "I…I killed him…I..." She stuttered aloud.

            She blinked several times and some of her confusion cleared. She crawled over to him and looked at the embedded sword blade. Keiko tugged on it gently, but it refused to move. Securing his back against her leg, she pulled on it with both hands, bring it the rest of the way through his chest and out. She moved her leg in the process and the motion knocked him onto his back. He gasped and opened his eyes.

            Kyosuke put one hand to the wound, and the other on Keiko's hand. "It's…it's okay…I'll be…okay…"

            Realizing she was still holding onto the blade, she tossed it aside and unwound her   obi from her waist. She folded it up into a square and pressed it into his wound. He grimaced, but put his hand firmly on top of hers. 

             "Did Shiro send you? Why are you here?" She asked him quietly.

            He coughed. "No. I came after he told me…things…"

            _I'm gonna kill him when I get home. How dare he encourage him to come out here. She thought bitterly._

             "It's…not his…fault. I came on my own." He told her with a little assurance. 

            The blood had begun to pool quiet deeply around them, and the smell of it was becoming putrid. She put an arm under him and tried to pull him up to a sitting position to keep him from lying in it mess, he shut his eyes and gasped several times in response. He was dead weight, and rather heavy for Keiko to hold onto, but she tried anyway. 

            He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Someone's coming…"

            She couldn't hear anything. "No one's coming, it's alright." She told him, pulling his cape tightly around him.

            He put his head against her shoulder and passed out again. 

            She held onto him and looked around them. "No one's here. I don't hear anything." She whispered.

            A shadow moved on the edge of her field of vision.

               There. Right there. Keiko heard Kyosuke say.

             "But…" She looked at him, and realized he was still unconscious. 

            Cold steel pressed against Keiko's neck. "No." She whispered.

            The sound of an IV dart-gun (1) was heard firing and Keiko's vision blurred. 

            She half turned to look at the new assailant. "You…you…I'll kill you…you..." She stuttered quietly. 

            It fired again and Keiko lost consciousness. 

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(1) A line of hand-held gun-shaped devices used to administer medication. Instead of a barrel they hold a vial of the drug to be administered, and are especially important in high-risk situations because they can administer the drug in record-time. They were developed by the Kirihara's 'medicinal research and production line' for Tokigawa General Hospital.

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_Chapter 8: …And to Meek or Strong _

            _I still don't see what I'm getting out of this. Shiro wondered. __Except more headaches._

            His dinner companion giggled. "Well…I can't get into places you can't, and I even have special clearance with the Hospital."

            Shiro removed a cigarette from his breast pocket and lit it. "I can get into anywhere I need to on my own. That's not much of a deal for me, especially since I'm risking more than myself here; I have people to protect."

            The young woman rocked in her chair. "I swear I can be a help! I'm a very respectable nurse, if nothing else."

            Shiro set the cigarette in a glass ashtray on the table and picked up his coffee cup. "That might come in handy. But I still don't understand why you're so adamant about all of this, Ms Nakahara."

            She sighed. "Call me Komugi, please."

             "Okay, Komugi, what kind of compensation are we talking? As you can guess we don't exactly make good money doing this.

             "Oh you don't have to worry about paying me; I've decided to work for love, and not money. Isn't that romantic?"

            Shiro choked on his coffee.

            The pigtailed nurse looked at him with concern. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

            He coughed several times "No…no, it's not that. It's…"

            She looked at her watch. "I have to go and take care of something, where should I meet you later?"

            Shiro resumed smoking. "You still have the address I gave you?"

            She rummaged through her small pink satchel. "Yep! I found it." She told him pulling out a scrap of yellow paper.

             "Stop by when you're ready to move, alright?"

             "Okay!" she told him jumping up from the table. "I'll see you guys later!"

             "Have a good evening, Komugi."

             "Bye!" she told him, walking out of the bar.

            Shiro leaned back in his chair.  She way too chipper about all of this. And Keiko's gonna kill me. He realized.

            He paid for his overpriced meal and left.

                                                                        *

            _Oh look at the pretty white clouds. Keiko mused. __They're so white and…huh?_

            Keiko blinked and her vision cleared. She lay on her back on a tiled floor. And the white clouds that floated around her were not clouds at all, but clumping smoke puffs. She put a hand up and waved at them, and they slowly moved around in the air.

              I'm tired…tired…She thought.  And I wanna take a shower! Wahaha!

            She yawned and tried to sit up, but found it unusually difficult. She attempted to say "the hell?" but nothing but a squeak came out.

            She put a hand to her throat. Rat_-bastards! They pumped helium in the room… She realized. _

            Keiko used the wall as a brace and pulled herself up to a sitting position. The changing of position distorted the clouds and her mind, and blood rushed to her brain. She was able to get a good view of the room, though. Three of the walls were cinderblock, painted an institutional yellow, and had vents towards the top that pumped out the white clouds. The fourth, the wall that faced the hallway, was heavy-duty glass. It kept the prisoner from having any privacy. 

            She tried to say "bad idea Mum, this ain't gonna hold me" but she simply squeaked again. Bracing herself against the bricks, she pulled herself to a standing position, allowing her to see above the helium clouds which tended to hover near the floor.

              There we go…  She thought.  It's a little clearer up here. Oh man, this just sucks. I've got no weapon, no wings, and no easy way out. I obviously can't bite my way out of here, so my fangs are pointless here. And…I wonder what they did with Kyosuke? Her mind seemed to want to wander away.

            She stumbled towards the center of the room and faced the glass wall. _Gotta__ get out here first.__ Gotta get outta here first._

            Too weak to stand up straight, she took a stance that looked far too similar to Quasimodo in _The__ Hunchback of Notre Dame. Unfortunately as soon as she felt ready, her balance shifted and the room seemed to tilt._

            She pointed at the glass wall. _Hey! Stop movin' so I can break ya into little pieces! _

            She shook her head and things seemed to clear. She put her right arm behind her, gathered some energy and formed a ball of distorted air in her hand. 

            Keiko tried to say "Sonic Ball," but squeaked instead. 

            She took a step and threw it, but her right knee caved and she went down to the floor. The ball took off and smacked into a side wall. Much like an out-of-control volleyball, it bounced from wall to floor to wall, finally smacking into her. It disintegrated upon impacting with her head.

            She grabbed her head. _Goddamit__!_

            Fed up with her luck, Keiko struggled to her feet and threw a second ball as soon as she could stand properly. It didn't have nearly the same punch the first one did, but it made it threw the glass wall, bringing it down in a curtain of shattered glass. Some of the helium was sucked out of the room, and it filtered into the hallway.

            _I gotcha! She announced in her head, just before falling back on her rear._

            Keiko then took notice of the fact that the helium was no longer being pumped out of the vents and the room was clearing. She coughed and regained some of her voice, but continued to sit on the floor.

            "I'll just wait until things clear up."

            She blinked.  Wait…uhh…is that a good idea? Her brain mused.

            "Maybe I shouldn't sit around. I mean, I know I could deal with whoever shows but…"

            _Why isn't my brain working? __What is it I'm forgetting? She thought, scratched her head._

            "Where's Kyosuke?"

            She blinked. _Wow…what did they do to me? How could I forget that so soon? She wondered, standing up finally._

            Keiko walked over to where the wall had been and looked down the hallway. There were several over rooms like this one on the floor, and she'd have to check them all.

              This isn't what I thought it was. This looks like Tokigawa General, but it's not. This must be the so-called Iso Ward at the KG's Headquarters. I've never been to this area. She realized.

            Keiko stepped into the hall, and was surprised no one had come yet. _They must have a bigger security issue than this Ward. She thought_

            She scratched her head. _Now if I had him and I was my mother, where would I have put him? And it couldn't be somewhere my nosey daughter wouldn't look…no wait…WOULD look so I could catch her too…right? Wait, what would I want with a mutant to begin with...?_

             "What she is looking for? Runa, right? And if they're after the Flickers…and…" She said aloud. "Oh hell, I don't know!" She put her hands on her hips. "Hmm. If it were me, I'd want to know what makes him tick."

            _That's it. The Dissection Lab's in the second basement. I knew I'd figure it out. But… She thought._

             "…I have no idea how to get there."

            Keiko heard a rustling towards the right. "I guess I'll go where ever that isn't" 

            Keiko took off running down the hallway, hoping that the elevator was in this wing.

                                                                        *

             "Okay this is getting old; all of the floors look the same." Keiko whispered aloud, wandering the first basement. "Why can't the elevators connect more than one floor? This is stupid." To make matters worse, it was dark in this area, no one was using this floor and the lights had been shut off.

            She tripped over a box on the floor and fell. "Damn." 

            Keiko looked in the box and found a flashlight. _Lucky me. She thought._

            She clicked its power switch, but it wouldn't light up. Out of anger she threw it against the wall, and stood up. "This is stupid. What am I doing?"

            She walked another few feet and realized it was a dead end.

             "DAMNIT!" She screamed, and then covered her mouth.

            _Oops. That was kinda loud. She realized._

            But her tempter hadn't cooled, she stomped her foot, and the floor cracked.

             "That's it. It's a faux floor. And that's why I can't find the elevator, it must be on an earlier floor and I missed it. It doesn't stop at this floor, because they're really isn't one. I suppose that means I'll have to make my grand entrance through the ceiling."

            She created another ball of power above her head, but slowly brought her other hand down on top of it, causing it to flatten out. She whipped her hands away and the discus dropped like a dead weight through the floor. 

            Keiko looked down through the hole, and the floor below looked not unlike the floor above. She took a step and fell through the hole, landing hard on the floor below.

            This _is the right floor. I can smell blood. She realized. __But I don't see the lab. And…where the door? There's no entrance in this room!_

             "This is some store room that's been sealed off." Keiko told herself. "But it's close; I can smell…_eww…formaldehyde…gross." She sniffed._

            She walked to the one wall and put a hand on it. She couldn't feel anything on the other side. She moved to the wall to her left and put a hand on the ceiling.  That's the outdoors. I can feel lots of people moving around…the movement…cars…no, not it. She realized.

            Keiko tried the wall opposite the first one. She shook her head. "Openness. There's just another empty room on this side." She tried the fourth wall.  Well, it's either this one, or I'm in the wrong building. She decided.

            When she put her hand on the wall, she noticed a noise enter her head. "It's white noise…like on a video screen without a picture. I don't get that. But this must be it, it's warm and I can sense people moving. The smell is really bad here too. But…" She put a hand to her chin. "How am I going to get though this one? This is a real wall, it's solid." She knocked on the wall. "Yep. Solid. My sonic power won't go though this wall."

            Keiko noticed a box of gun shells. "Maybe I can make a lot of tiny holes instead of one big one." She shook her head. "I would have to have just as much energy to do that."

            There was a bookcase on the wall and she considered it for a moment. "Don't tell me that that's doing what I think its doing." She pushed on the steal bookcase from the side and it moved a few inches. 

             "Son of a…man, I'm stupid. This thing's been in front of the door." Keiko finished pushing the bookcase out of the way and looked at the door. It looked like it hadn't been open in years. She kicked it, but instead of falling to the side, it fell forwards out of the door frame, and she heard is crash to the floor. 

            _The hell? She thought. _

            She stuck half of her body through the door and looked down. The entire room was done in a black-and-white checked pattern, and it disturbed her vision. Finding herself dizzy again, Keiko lost her footing and fell to the floor, landing on top of the fallen door.

             "Ugh…" She muttered, looking up and around in confusion. "This is the Dissection Lab? Nasty vision-trick stuff.

            She stood and rubbed her head. As she did, she heard a woman scream.

            Keiko saw the dissection tank and as she has assumed, they had Kyosuke tied down in it. She took a step forward and felt something hit her. 

            She looked up and screamed. "Bitch! Who shot me? Huh?" She looked at the wound, and it was minimal considering the wounds she already had. 

            The confusion cleared at Keiko adjusted to the room. Towards her left was a row of yellow tinted glass windows and a door to the left of them. Her assailant was not in the room, and the lab's control center seemed abandoned.

            She walked over to the hemispherical tank on the floor. Several small instruments were sticking out of Kyosuke's chest and it appeared that some ad hoc surgery had been going on when Keiko bust in. She pounded on the glass. 

             "Solid again. Now what?" 

            Keiko wound up and slammed a fist at the tank. Not even a crack.

            Her frustration was suddenly too much and she felt herself let go and transform. "I…I'm gonna lose it…"

            She leaned back and built up her third Sonic Ball of the night and prepared to bury it in the tank, but she was being held back by something.  I…I might hurt him… She realized.

             "I'll be worse if I don't do something now." She said aloud. She also took notice of the reappearance of a woman in the lab area. "I'll just aim away. So don't say I didn't try."

            She buried the ball in the side of tank and the glass areas smashed apart. Unfortunately she forgot to shield herself, and she was suddenly awash in glass shards and the yellowish fluid in the tank. She stumped back a step, overwhelmed by the stench of blood.

            Kyosuke gasped and came to, and looked at her. He pulled out the several small tools that the lab techs had left stuck in his chest and tossed them to the floor. He ripped open the belt hold him down and climbed out of the chair, took a step and stumbled to the floor; Keiko tried to help him up but he pushed her away. 

             "Hey! Come on, what's the deal?" She told him, finding a touch of anger creeping into her voice.

            He ignored her comment and got to his feet. "You need to go. You shouldn't be seeing this. I can't protect you here. There's no one to protect you here." He told her, stumbling slightly.

              You shouldn't see me like this. He thought.  I look so weak. I can't even protect myself like this.

             "Excuse me? You're the one who needs to be protected! Look at yourself!" She told him, pointing accusingly.

            He went down on one knee and panted. "I have something to do. You need to go now. I will be along when I'm done." He tried to keep his tone from sounding angry, but his injuries were putting a strain on his emotions, and he came off harsh.

            Keiko stared at him, and she realized what was going on. "You want me gone all of a sudden? What, don't like the idea of having to be helped by someone else? Or is it just me? You don't want me help…you don't trust me to help you…do you?"

            He shot her a look but stayed quiet.

             "You…you selfish  bastard! After all I went through to find you. And this is how you repay me! " She yelled at him.

            He got to his feet and turned to her. "I don't need you…you…to protect me…help me."

            She shook her head, realizing she was lost. "I…I don't understand. You only want my help _some of the time? What about in the bathroom, you wanted me then?"_

            "That was before I knew who you were." He told her, holding his side.

            "You came for me when I was out of control." She told him, starting to slip into confusion.

            "Shiro asked me to." He lied to her. "I lied to you about it earlier."

            Keiko turned away from him. "I see." She said softly.

            W_hy does it feel like whatever I had believed about you is going out the window all of a sudden? She wondered._

            "Go home now." He told her sternly. "This isn't a place for you. You're too weak to be here."

            _I don't want to be mean, but I've got no choice. She just doesn't understand; I can't protect her here. If she gets hurt or gets attacked, I can't help her. I don't want that. Maybe I am being selfish, but she'll be safe. Isn't that the important part? Why doesn't she want that? Why does she want to put herself at risk for this…for someone like me? I don't need her protection. Sure, once in a while I need a hand, but…but…she shouldn't be involved in this. This is my battle, she doesn't belong here. He thought as he left the lab._

            Keiko lost it for a moment. She turned and slammed a fist into the tank's chair, knocking the headrest into the far wall. When she turned back around, she found he was gone.

            I'm not weak! I'm not…I don't need you to protect me…  She thought, sinking to her knees. 

            Her eyes burned. "Fine! Go and play hero, see if I care." She said aloud, sadly.

            She picked up one of the surgical instruments and looked it over. She squeezed her hand and the blade broke off. Her hand started to bleed, but she couldn't feel the pain.

             "I'm not weak…I'm not…"

            She looked at the blade. _If I could concentrate I could be as powerful as I want. Maybe this is for the best. It'll be better if we aren't involved. She decided._

            She stood and tossed the broken scalpel to the side. "Yeah, it'll be better this way."

            She headed out of the lab through the door, and began to look for the elevator to the ground level. Stepping out into street in front of the building, she realized it was already daylight.

            Keiko looked back at the building. "Fine. I don't need you either, Mr. Date. Have fun playing hero. Just don't expect me to help you when you fall down." She told herself, starting the long walk home.

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_Chapter 9: Perverted by the Sentimental, Part 1 _

            Keiko slowly opened the door to the apartment and stuck her head in. As she had anticipated, Shiro was asleep at the kitchen table, having tried to wait up for her. He had his head buried in his arms., and was snoring lightly. She walked over to him and shook him gently. "Shiro? Hey, wake up."

            He picked his head up and looked up. "Hey doll, you okay?" He asked, half-asleep. He scratched his head and stretched in his seat.

            She gave a sigh. "I'm alive. I feel like crap, but I'm alive. Then again, that still doesn't say much for me, considering."

            He stood and patted her on the shoulder. "As long as you're not hurt badly. Are you going to shower?"

            "Yeah, in a minute." She told him, walking over to the couch. She scowled at what she saw. "Why is there a girl sleeping on our couch?"

            "That's the girl from the graveyard, remember?"

            She looked at him. "Yeah. So?"

            Shiro removed the tea pot from the stove and started to fill it at the sink. "Well, she asked if she could team up with us; she's a rather good nurse according to her records, plus she has a healing ability. And I guess she has a thing for Kyosuke. That was her original reason for coming to me." He looked inside the tea pot and then looked back up at her. "Where is he, anyway?"

            She crossed her arms across her chest, angrily. "Who cares?"

            He put the pot on the stove and turned it on. "Umm, did something happen, doll?" He asked, slightly confused.

            She stormed off to her room, and slammed the door behind her.

            The noise jerked the pink-haired nurse from her sleep. "Wow, that was loud!" She said, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"

            Shiro looked at his watch. "8:14." 

            Komugi flopped back down on the couch. "Too early!"

            Shiro removed four mugs from the cupboard. "Yeah, I suppose so." He told her rather emotionless.

            "Why didn't Kyosuke come back with her? Didn't you say he went after her?" she asked Shiro.

            He removed four teabags from a canister next to the stove. "They're probably fighting. It's pretty obvious they have some major issues to work through." He told her with a sigh.

            Komugi sat up on the couch and looked over to him. "Does that mean he's not really taken?" She asked. There was an obvious sparkle of interest in her eyes.

            Shiro shook her head. "I wouldn't get in Keiko's way. She can be adamant about what she wants. She gets it, simply put."

            Komugi's heart sank. "Lovers' quarrel?"

            "Yep."

            "But what's wrong with them? Some of the stuff you said makes it seem like they were made for each other." She asked, getting up from the couch. She sat down at the table, and Shiro joined her.

            "I don't think a dead man makes very good lover, that's what I think." He told her, leaning back in his chair.

            She was perplexed. "Huh?"

            He shook her head. "A story for another time. "

            "Oh. Okay. So like they just don't know how to connect?" She asked, a bit unsure of what the real situation entailed.

            The tea pot whistled. 

            Shiro stood. "I'd say that's pretty much on the money. I think they really do have the potential to be great together. And not only on a sexual level, if they were more in sync with one another, they'd be formidable opponents out in the battle field as well."

            Komugi smiled. "Aww, that's so sweet! Luckless lovers trying to shift through life's confusion to find one another!"

            Keiko stormed out of her room and into the bathroom. She cared a short, dark purple cheongsam and three-inch heels that matched. "It is not romantic! It's stupid. Love is for fools and men suck! And I don't care where he is! He doesn't have to come home for all I care!" She told them before slamming the door shut.

            Shiro smirked. "Then why did you get out one of your better dresses, doll-face? I don't think you're trying to impress your new roommate."

            Komugi giggled.

            They heard something smack into the bathroom door from the inside. It hit the floor with a small thud.

            Shiro finished mixing up the tea and handed a mug to Komugi. He sat back down with his own mug. "I wonder if I shouldn't be helping them with this. If for no other reason, than to save the doors."

            She sipped her tea and nodded.

            There was a rattle at the front door and Kyosuke entered the apartment. He wasn't faring much better than he had been a few hours earlier. He had a visible limp, and he held his side.

            Shiro and Komugi got up from the table to help him. "You doin' alright?" Shiro asked him.

            "I'll be fine; I just need to sit down for a few minutes." He replied with a slight strain.

            Shiro helped support him, and sat him down where he had been sitting. He moved his mug to the sit to the right. "You want some tea?"

            "Um, yeah, alright." Kyosuke told him, with a deep breath.

            Komugi's sparkle had returned "You look terrible! What happened?" She asked with concern.

            Shiro sat a mug of tea in front of him, and he stared at it for a moment before trying it. "We were captured by the Kirihara. We were taken to Headquarters, which is…" His voice was suddenly strained. "…more like a horrid fun house than an office complex."

            Shiro sat down at the table. "Are your wounds severe?"

            He simply grimaced and took a sip of his tea. 

            "This is Komugi Nakahara." Shiro continued. "She's decided to aid our cause. She a decent nurse, so I think she can probably do something about the wounds."

            He rubbed his side. "They'll heal on their own."

            Komugi stood and pretended to scold him. "If nothing else we have to wrap them. You'll get an infection otherwise." She walked over to a cardboard box sitting near the couch and rummaged through it. She finally pulled put a ball a medical gauze, a sealed package of small cloth pads, and a tube of antibacterial cream. "Besides, open wounds are a major turn-off!" She told Kyosuke with a giggle.

            He shifted in his chair and scowled at her. "Turning people on' is not a major concern of mine."

            Komugi sighed. "Man, you two are hopeless, aren't you?"

            Shiro laughed. "That's what I say!"

            This time Shiro got the scowl, and he laughed at Kyosuke in return.

            "But man…seriously…" Shiro started, between sips of his tea. "What did you say? I thought the whole point of going after her was to prove yourself to her. And not proving you're a bastard, I mean."

            He leaned back in his chair. "I have nothing to prove."

            Komugi returned to the table with what she had found in the box, setting them to the side. "I think it's more like 'I don't have to prove myself to her.'"

            Kyosuke did not respond.

            "But…" Shiro said. "Unless you told her you hate her, I can't believe she'd do a full 'three-sixty' on you."

            Kyosuke's face softened and Shiro took note of the change. "It's for the best." He told them. "She shouldn't be involved, and we shouldn't be involved. It's too much of a risk. I can't put the Flickers and my sister at risk because I have the urge to…' His voice trailed off.

            Shiro choked on his tea. "If you tell me you told her you hate her, I swear I will get involved here."

            He felt his eyes burning again. "I told her she was weak and that she shouldn't be involved."

            Shiro coughed and sputtered for a moment.

            Komugi shook her head. "I bet there's something else. She way too mad for it to be something so simple."

            Kyosuke sunk down in his chair. "I told her that you sent me to go after her when she was out of control."

            Shiro suddenly jerked his mug, throwing the remainder of its contents on Kyosuke. "You ass, now she's going to blame me." He told him, standing up to rinse out his mug.

            Kyosuke grimaced. "I'm sorry, Shiro. But…it's too dangerous to get her involved in my problems. I…I don't want to see her get hurt."

            Komugi suddenly stood. "Aha! The truth comes out! This is about you trying to protect her!" She paused. "Aww! How romantic! The gallant, yet weary, knight wanting to protect the fair maiden"

            Shiro walked back to the table, shaking his head. "Too bad the maiden could probably kick the knight's ass. And this isn't really about that. You told me you're driven by some 'unseen force' to protect the Flickers, right?"

            He looked up at him. "Yes."

            Shiro smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't you see? You're treating her like one of the Flickers, aren't you? But you don't have to! She's more than strong enough to stand next to you in the battlefield, and not behind you."

            Kyosuke stood, and ignored Shiro's comment. "Ms. Nakahara, can you take care wrapping my wounds now?"

            She giggled and pointed to him. "You're trying to change the subject!"

            He sighed and looked down. "Yes."

            Shiro took Kyosuke's half-empty mug from the table and took it to the sink. _Now I get it. He thought, washing the mug. __He doesn't know how NOT to protect her, and that drives her nuts. It's not that he doesn't care; he cares so much he's afraid she'll get hurt, and he's become overprotective. And since he's wounded, I bet she tried to help him, but he's so 'in tune' with 'playing hero' to save the Flickers, he pushed her away. There's the romance you were looking for Komugi. A strange romance, but a connection none the less._

            He dried the mug off. _Then there's nothing anyone can do, except be there when they look for advice. And maybe a little situation setting-up. He realized. They'll have to do this on their own. But they'll be better for it, I'm sure. But he's going to have to stop thinking of her as a Flicker he needs to save, and as his… He then realized he didn't know what she could be to him._

            He looked over to the couch. Komugi had had him remove his cape and she was wrapping a large wound in the upper area of his chest. He heard the water in the bathroom shut off. "Keiko's gonna love this." Shiro whispered sarcastically to himself.. "I'm dead. Between her thinking I sent him to find her, and the fact that I told Komugi to help him with his wounds, she's gonna kill me."

            The bathroom door rattled and. Keiko walked out carrying her ruined white kimono and underwear. She tossed the clothes into a chair at the kitchen table. She would dispose of them at the incinerator when she got a chance. 

            Komugi piped up when she saw her. "Wow, that's a really nice dress! I'm jealous; tell me where you got it! I want one like it1"

            Shiro nodded. "That is one of the nicer ones, doll. You wear it well. Don't you agree, Kyosuke?" He asked him, trying to force him into niceness.

            He looked at her for a moment, and then turned away without an answer.

            Shiro and Komugi both frowned at him.

            _He's just being dumb. Komugi thought. She's so __wearing that for him, and he doesn't even notice! Boys are so dumb!_

            Keiko joined Shiro in the kitchen, feeling rejected without a pleasant response from him. Her anger had evaporated, but it had been replaced with an air of sullenness and dejectedness.

            Shiro poured hot water from the tea pot over the tea bag in her mug. He looked at her with concern. "Are you feeling better? You look much better, if that's anything."

            She steeped her tea bag. "I feel as good physically as to be expected, considering how I feel emotionally."

            Oh doll_, I wish I could help you. But I can't…you two have to do this on your own. He thought. __It's the only way you'll appreciate it._

            She took a sip of the tea , gagged on it, and then poured it out. "You know I don't like black tea,Shiro. Why did you make that for me?"

            Shiro sighed, realizing his mistake. "I'm sorry, doll. It slipped my mind. Things have been chaotic around here, sorry." 

            Keiko looked over to the couch, ignoring Shiro's tea comment. "He wouldn't let me touch him, but he'll let someone he barely knows wrap his wounds."

            Shiro tried to play it calm. "I'm sure he has his reason, doll-face."

            She felt her eyes start to burn. "I don't care. It's…"

            "Unfair?" He asked her.

            She turned away from him. "Yes."

            "Doll, there's something I need to tell you."

            Her hopes rose for a moment. "Yeah, Shiro?"

            "Joseph said one of the waitresses called in sick, and asked if you would work some bar hours. He said he'll pay you regular wages. He kinda hinted that it might be the best was to make sure you don't lose your regular dig, considering you ditched on him last Wednesday. He was a bit adamant about it." 

            Her heart sank. "I see.

            "Just wear what you have on, but take your lounge cheongsam with you."

            "Alright. Are you coming down tonight?" She asked quietly.

            "Doll, have I ever missed one of your shows?" He asked her with a smile. He put a hand on her shoulder, trying to inspire some joy in her.

            She smiled slightly. "No."

            "Go grab your stuff and we'll see you tonight, okay?"

            She scowled at him. "We?"

            "Yeah, all of us. Komugi says she's been dying to go to 'The Blue Moon'."

            "Oh." She said, with a slight sigh.

            "Should I tell him not to come?" He asked with concern.

            "I don't care what he does!" She said a bit too loudly. Kyosuke and Komugi looked over to them. A glimmer of sadness graced his face for a moment, and then disappeared.

            She walked out of the kitchen and back to her room. She removed her full-length black cheongsam from the back of the door, and folded it over her arm. She grabbed her small shoulder purse from her bed, and returned to the main room. She then rejoined Shiro in the kitchen.

            Shiro handed her her door keys and put a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be there, I promise." He whispered in her ear. "We'll see you tonight."

            She lifted his hand from her shoulder. "Don't make him come if he doesn't want to. I wouldn't want to be accused of trying to have a normal life or anything." She told him, walking out. She shut the door and Shiro was left standing there, feeling a tad gloomy.

            _Ah this sucks…He realized. __Totally sucks…_

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	4. TST:BL Ch 10 through 12

_Chapter 10: Perverted by the Sentimental, Part 2_

**_Two Hours Later…_**

            _Clear, wipe, restock. It's so simple. Like a menu you follow. So simple. Keiko realized._

            She held up one of the dirty glasses on the table and looked at her reflection in it. She lifted up her bangs and looked at herself; there was a small scar developing on her forehead. _Why does it seem like I'm not the person in the glass? I'm not my reflection. Is anyone the person they see in the mirror? She wondered._

            Joseph, the some-what overweight, fourty-eight year old club owner, walked up behind her. He put grimy hand on Keiko's shoulder, which she quickly brushed off.

            _Don't touch me. She thought. __No one should touch me._

            "Hey kiddo, what's up? You look a little out of it." He told her in a husky voice.

            She turned to look at him. "I'm fine considering I have barely slept in a week." She told him, on the verge of losing her temper.

            He ignored her attitude; he was used to her losing control at him. "Well, ya look good if that counts for anything!" He told her with a smile.

            _Don't hit on me old man. She thought._

            Keiko sighed. "Did you need me for something, Joe?"

            He coughed. "Uh, yeah…Shiro's on the phone." He gestured towards the bar. 

            She cocked an eye brow. "What does he want? I'm going to see him later."

            Joseph shook his head. "He said he needed to talk to you like right now."

            She went back to wiping the table. "Take a message…I'm not in the mood for his antics."

            "I tried, he was adamant about talking to you."

            She looked at the bar. This could be serious. She realized.

            Joseph noticed her seriousness. "I'll be in the back, kiddo."

            She walked over to the wooden bar. "Okay Joe." She told him, picking up the receiver.  "Shiro?'

            "Took you long enough!" He answered, too loudly for her sake.

            "You're too damn loud on the phone, Shiro, tone it down."

            She heard him relax. "Sorry, it's just this is important."

            "What is it?

            "I finished that section of your footprint. " He told her, evenly.

            "Yeah, so?"

            "There's a gene in here that is showing up in the Kirihara database."

            Keiko sighed. She wished he would just spit out whatever was bothering him. "Yeah Shiro, my mother's code is listed in the database."

            "That's not the name the file listed under. But I do have interesting info on your mother. But I'll save that for later."

            She was losing patience. "Shiro, if there's nothing major, why didn't you…"

            He interrupted her. "Do you know why the later alterations where made to your code?"

            "No." He had her worried now.

            "Work with me here. Anyone who at any point in time has interacted with the KG has their code listed and available, right? They just have to decode it from the rest of the crap intersected with it to scramble the information."

            She sighed. "Yes."

            "Well, you bear in the area I just finished something called the X3 gene. And like all genes, it can be turned on or off."

            The science lesson was killing her mood. "Damnit Shiro, just say it."

            "Your X3 gene has been altered to be turned 'off.' The note next to it says 'altered by KG to achieve desired effect, results pending'."

            She took a step back from the bar, pulling the phone cord. "Shiro….I don't care…what is it that you want to tell me?"

            "I'm getting to that!" He yelled.

            "Well, hurry up! Or Joe's going to get mad at me for being lazy!"

            "Okay! This gene was altered to cause a reaction with other people with the same type of alteration. It works on a 'lock-and-key' system."

            "Uh…" Was all she could reply.

            He simply continued. "When I asked the system for other compatible people, it gave me 'Tokigawa, K' and 'Vincent, R'. The only other thing I can tell is that Kyosuke's gene is listed as 'on' and Vincent's is 'off.' I don't have all of this completely worked out, but I'll see how fast I can work. I'll bring whatever I can get down to the club tonight."

            She took the phone down from her ear and stared at it.

            "Keiko? Keiko, talk to me." He asked.

            "I'm not related to them." She told him flatly.

            "You're not, but there's a worse rationale at work here. And that's that you were made to be in this situation. Perhaps even made for them."

            She tried to remain calm, but her hand shook. "Why both?"

            She could hear him typing in the background. "They both possess the gene, must have been passed on."

            "That man…he's the man that…" She stuttered.

            "I know, doll, I know. Go and work though, I'll see you later." He told her quietly.

            The phone clicked off, and he hung up. She stared at the phone for a moment, and then hung it up.

            Joseph returned to the barroom. "So, everything's good?" He asked with a smile.

            She stared at him for a moment. _Act normal. Pretend like nothing's wrong or he'll ask questions. She realized._

            Keiko showed him a faux smile, and returned to the table to continue cleaning. _Pretend like everything's normal. Everything's normal. I'll all be normal. We'll all be normal…one day… Her mind stuttered._

                                                                                    *

Nine Hours Later…

            "Shiro!" Keiko yelled across the now crowed bar. 

            He waved and pointed at the bar. She caught up with him there.

            "Do you have anything new?" She asked immediately. 

            He shook his head. "Nothing direct, but it seems my theory was correct."

            Her heart sagged. "I was altered for him, wasn't I?"

            He nodded slightly. "But hey, look on the bright side, you're still fertile!" He opened the manila folder he was carrying and showed her the top sheet.

            She cocked an eyebrow. "Uh…okay…but that info isn't a big help right now."

            He whacked her over the head with the folder.

            "Hey!" She rubbed the crown of her head.

            "You're missing it. But you're still young. And I think that's gonna be a big deal eventually, or they wouldn't have put so much effort into trying to make that NOT happen." He told her with a wink.

            "I'm confused. Why…" Her mind shut down for a moment.

            I'm…I'm supposed to be a…a sexual distraction… She realized.

            "I've been playing their game, Shiro! I am…I look like a member of the KG group!" She yelled at him suddenly.

            He seemed taken aback. "No hon, you beat their game. Trust me, their failure to sterilize you with end up biting them in the ass."

            "But I mean…isn't' he…like…dead?" She asked in confusion.

            He winked again. "You wanna find out?"

            She took the folder from him and slapped him with it. "Pervert!"

            He simply laughed at her. "Go change and get on stage, doll. Or you ain't getting paid, 'member?"

            She sighed comically. "Man, I hate being the grown-up. Now order or get the hell out of my way, Uncle."

            He winked at her once again, and left her standing at the bar.

            I'm taking this rather well, considering. She realized leaving the floor to change. No. It just hasn't hit home yet.

                                                                                    *

**_Thirty Minutes Later…_**

                        _"Where are you going? Where do you go?"*_

            Shiro shook his head. "She's not herself tonight. She doesn't hide it well."

            Komugi sulked. "Why did I have to come with you? I wanted to stay home with Kyosuke."

            He looked at her. "That's the whole reason you're here."

            "Why didn't he want to come, anyway?" She asked, curiously.

            "I have no idea. I asked, but he said he wanted to stay home and rest." He told her with a shrug.

                        _ "Where are you going? Where do you go?"*_

            "But I bought this new dress just to go out tonight with him! What a waste." She sighed.

            "You really shouldn't plan on getting between them. It might even be dangerous." He told her sternly.

            Komugi shot him a look of confusion. "Dangerous, how?"

            "They are driven by different forces then us. Something more primordial, perhaps." He told her.

                        _ "Are you looking for answers for questions under the stars?"*_

            Komugi shifted uneasily in her seat. "That's weird."

            Shiro handed her the manila folder. "Yes, it is. Very strange, indeed."

            She flipped open the folder and read the top sheet. "I see…" She told him sadly.

            Shiro shrugged. "I'm not saying you can't give it a shot, but I think genetics has you beat."

            "But they…seem so…" She muttered.

            "I know. But it's just formalities, really. Their emotions are in the way." He told her, removing a cigarette from his breast pocket and lighting it.

                        _ "I am no Superman, I have no answers for you, I am no hero, aw that's for sure, but I do know one thing - where you are, is where I belong."*_

            Komugi closed the file and set it aside. "She seems so tired."

            "She is." Shiro agreed. "But her soul is what is tired, her body is fine."

            She stared for a moment. "They aren't like us, are they?"

            "No." Shiro told her.

            What am I even doing here? These…people…don't need me…" She thought.

            Shiro pattered her on the head, suddenly. "Relax. If you worry too much, you'll turn into them. They both worry too much. They could take a lesson or two from you."

            She knocked his hand away. "Eww! Don't touch me like that. I'm not a dog you can pet!" She told him gruffly, straightening her shiny pink pigtails.

_                        "I am no Superman, I have no answers for you, I am no hero, aw that's for sure, but I do know one thing - where you are, is where I want to be."*_

            Shiro noticed Keiko put a hand to her head. "What's a matter, doll?" He whispered to himself.

            "Huh?" asked Komugi.

            Keiko swayed on stage, and nearly fell.

            Shiro rushed to the stage and helped her sit up.

            "Shiro…?" She asked him. 

            "What happened, doll?" He asked, helping her stand.

            Komugi and Joseph joined them, amongst boos from the rowdy crowd.

            "I…I saw something…"

            "What?!? What did you see?" Shiro asked, shaking her slightly.

            "I…" Was all she muttered before passing out on Shiro's shoulder.

            Joseph handed Komugi his car keys as Shiro picked Keiko up and cradled her. "Take my car; you won't have to walk then."

            "Thanks man, I owe you one." Shiro told him, starting to walk out.

            "No man, if you don't take care of her, you're going to owe me one." He replied with a small smile, pointing them to the exit.

            I'm going to owe a lot more than a new barmaid to Joe if this is serious. Shiro realized putting Keiko in the backseat of Joe's car.

            Komugi handed him the keys and looked at him for a moment. "Is this serious?"

            Shiro shook his head. "I don't think so. But if it's what I think it is, it's going to be a pain in the ass, very shortly."

            Shiro sat in the front seat and started the car. Komugi sat in the passengers' seat and slammed the door shut. The noise seemed to bring Keiko around.

            He turned around and looked at her. "You up already?"

            She sat up in her seat. "Yes." She told them, rubbing her head. "I wasn't out long was I?" 

            "Only a few minutes." Komugi told her.

            Keiko's attitude was serious. "We need to go home. There's something we need to discuss."

            Shiro pulled the car out of 'park' and they started the short drive home. "Okay."

            "And Komugi…?"

            She looked back at Keiko. "Yeah?"

            "Do you have some of the gauze left?"

            Komugi blinked. "Um, yeah. Why?"

            "He's going to need it. They aren't large wounds, but deep this time. He could get an infection from these ones."

            Komugi looked at Shiro. "Is this what you said was going to be 'a pain in the ass?'"

            Shiro shook his head. "No. It's worse than that. Better, yet worse." He told them, pulling into the parking space in front of their apartment building.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* "Where Are You Going?" from _The__ Dave Mathews' Band_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  


_Chapter 11: This is Not a Game_

_            "I can see what you see, but is it worth it to me…?"*_

            The group had re-gathered at Shiro's apartment, but the air in the place was anything but comfortable now. They sat around the kitchen table, attempting to deal with what Keiko had to tell them.

            Shiro lit a cigarette. "You didn't answer my question."

            "I can't tell you why I passed out." Keiko replied with a sigh.

            He puffed. "Yes you can."

            _How do you tell someone that you can feel their pain? She wondered. __How do you tell someone that every time someone decides to put a hole in them that you can tell twenty miles away?_

            Komugi was waving a hand in front of Keiko's face. "Hello? Anyone home?"

            She blinked. "Uh…"

            Shiro put his cigarette in the table ashtray, and then turned to Kyosuke. "You've been awfully quiet." 

            "You're not going." Kyosuke told Keiko, stone-faced.

            "I can do whatever I want!" She retorted.

            "I don't want you mixed up in this. Stop acting like this is some game." Kyosuke told her standing. 

            She was hurt. "It's not a game. I know it's not."

            Shiro looked from one to the other. "Uh…why don't you fill the rest of us in? You know, the ones who can't read each other's minds."

            Kyosuke scowled at him. "I am not reading her mind. It's her..." He gestured towards Keiko. "She crawls inside your mind and just…stays there…like a disease."

            She stood up from the table in anger. "Jerk! How can you say crap like that?!"

            Shiro looked at him. "Hey, lighten up, man."

            Keiko turned away from them. Leave _me alone. You have no right to put me down. She thought._

            Komugi rubbed her face with her hands. "I'm so confused. What's wrong with you two?"

            Keiko flopped back in her chair. "I'm tired. Maybe that's it."

            Shiro picked up his cigarette. "Go to bed, doll. You look like you need it."

            Keiko looked at Shiro, and then shut her eyes. "I know, you guys just leave me here to sleep…go way…" She waved condescendingly at him.

            Shiro gestured to Komugi and she jumped up from the table.

            She grabbed Keiko by the arm and started dragging her off to her bed room. "But I dun wanna go to sleep now. There are things to be done."

            Komugi shoved her in her room, and Keiko landed on the bedroom floor from the push. She slammed the door shut.

            "Yes there is! She announced, turning back round and returning to the kitchen.

            Shiro eyed her, but said nothing.

            "So where are we going?" She asked excitedly. 

            Kyosuke eyed her. "You're not going either."

            Her heart sank. "What? Oh come on…I even fixed up your wounds for you."

            "And I thank you for that. But this is something I can handle this one on my own." He told her frankly.

            "Aww…"

            Kyosuke put a hand to his chest. _Where's my crucifix?_

            Shiro smirked. "It's on Keiko's dresser, 'member? You took it off when you showered and left it there so it didn't get wet. Or at least that's what you told me."

            "No I didn't. I left it in the bathroom. I must have forgotten to put it back on. You must have moved it."

            Shiro flashed him a grin. "Whoops, silly me. I guess I thought it would get lost."

            _Bastard. He did that on purpose. Kyosuke realized._

            "What, afraid you can't go five minutes without insulting her?" Asked Komugi sitting back down, her attitude sullen.

            He scowled at her and knocked on the bedroom door. 

            No answer.

            He knocked again.

            No answer. 

            Kyosuke tried to handle and the door opened slightly.

            He looked in, and she threw a shoe at the door. It banged against it and fell to the floor. 

            "Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?" He blurted out. He let go of the handle and door fell open. She was standing in the middle of the room in her underwear, looking in the dresser mirror.

            She turned around and pointed at him. "You! You're what's wrong with me! And what is this? Couldn't go more than five minutes without insulting me, huh? You must get off on that or something!" She shouted in response.

            He stepped in the room and shut the door behind himself. "It's not like that." He told her leaning against the door.

            "So, what? You want to watch me change? Has Shiro been giving you 'pervert lessons' or something?"

            "It's not like that."

            She removed her bra and crawled into bed. "I don't have the patience for this. Get what you came for and go. I don't need some pervert slinking around behind me that insults me to my face."

            Kyosuke's eyes burned. _There's no way around this. He realized._

            He walked up to the dresser and picked up his cross. "It's not like that."

            She sniffed. "Yeah right. That's a nice excuse."

            "You shouldn't be involved in this. That's what it is. I don't want you to be involved in this. I'm trying to keep you safe."

            "You don't have to protect me."

            He sighed. "Yes I do. You don't belong there."

            She rolled over and faced the wall. "I already am involved though. I fight the battle everyday. I've fought this battle since before you were born. My mother is a monster and my father abandoned me. I've been raped, stabbed, beaten down, and lost." She paused. "And the battle belongs to whoever wants it or is forced to want it." She paused again. "Want. Desire is a bizarre thing."

            "Yes it is." He added, looking at the crucifix in his hand. "But why do you want it?" He asked sharply. 

            She sighed. "Because my identity has been forged in the battle, it is the way I identify myself. Unlike you, I never got to be normal. I never got to have a childhood and grow up, safe and secure from the hate of battle. I have no identity outside of battle. I am nothing to the world that had rejected me. Society has scorned me, and the world has thrust me outside of the real world. Even God has rejected me, I couldn't even have reprieve in death; forced to go back into the world, even more dejected."

            _She's as messed up as I am. He realized. __I guess I didn't grasp that before._

            "I used to say I would trade everything I had to be normal, but now I know I can never make that deal. Despite whatever I am, I am here to exist as this. Whatever monster I am, was pulled out of the earth to exist in this time and space."

            He looked at her. "You think you're a monster…"

            She rolled on her back and pulled the blankets up. "Don't you think the same thing when you look in the mirror?"

            He squeezed his eyes shut. "Yes."

            "I figured you did. Perhaps we all do, though. But who are the real monsters? Are we? The ones who robbed us of ourselves? Or the ones who keep us locked down in our chains, forcing us to fight a battle we can never truly win? 

            I have found some reprieve in this new life though, where I am seen as a real person, and not as some undead, mutant, freak. I am not contained buy society's rules, and I can be myself more than others can. I have the power to choose, and the power to change things. You should be happy, you have a much better idea of the real world, and you could go virtually undetected in society, despite what you are."

            He sat on the edge of the bed. "How can you talk so candidly about what you…what we…are?"

            She tried to smile. "I suppose I have already gone through your emotions. I have already considered myself in that way, and I have grown past it. I'm sure you will too. You may lose some of your identity in the process, but you will grow past the pain."

            He sighed. "You make it sound simple."

            Keiko sat up in the bed and pulled her knees to her chest, covering herself. "It's not. You're lying to yourself if you think that suddenly the whole world's going to care and that you'll sudden be the person you could be. You can't. But you're lucky, I had only Shiro. You've got a lot more support than I did. And they…they'll make sure you make it…"

            Kyosuke simply looked at her. "I don't…understand something…"

            She crawled back down in to her bed. "What?"

            "Why do you want to help? Why do you want to be involved in this?"

            "I already told you, I have the power to change things, so I get involved willingly."

            He shook his head. "That's why you get involved for society's sake. Why did you…why do you insist on being involved in my battle? Why do you want to battle my demons?"

            She smiled. "Why do you insist on stopping me?"

            He stood and walked over to her. "You didn't answer my question." He told her quietly.

            "Because I was made for that battle. I exist to take part in the battle."

            Confusion flashed across his face. "Ah..."

            "Now answer my question." She told him, eyeing him intensely.

            He stood silent.

            She patted to the edge of the bed near her. "Sit."

            He sat, but refused to answer.

            "I'm not going to be able to support you unless you say it." She told him, sitting up in the bed again.

            _She already knows. He realized. __Then why all of this?__ Why tell me all of this? Why make me feel like this?_

            She took the cross from his hand and fastened it around his neck, allowing it to fall into place. She put her hands on his shoulders. "Tell me."

            "I can't."

            "Why?"

            "I don't know." He told her, rubbing his eyes with his hand.

            "Good. I'm glad you can't yet." She told him. "I just had to be sure."

            He looked back at her. "I don't understand."

            She curled back into the bed sheets. "Because we aren't there yet. You'll have the words when it's time."

            He stood and looked down at her somewhat sadly. "I wish I had those words now. It would make things simpler."

            "I know, but it takes time. You have to be willing to grow to find those words too, though."

            Kyosuke walked over to the door, took the handle, and started to close it behind himself.

            "Kyo?"

            "What?"

            "Did you find what you came in looking for?" She asked him, half-asleep already.          

            "Yes." He told her, shutting the door.

            _Now I just have to find myself. He realized, sadly. __And the words…___

**_Four Hours Later…_**

            "This is the map of the campus." Shiro announced, tossing a folded piece of paper onto the table.

            "Got it." Komugi picked it up and unfolded it. She skimmed it and refolded it.

            "These are you new ID cards. You'll need them to access the school's computer and phone system." The cards landed where the map had been.

            Komugi reached for them, but Keiko beat her to them. She looked at them and tossed them back on the table. "We don't need these."

            Shiro was irritated. "I take it you don't plan on contacting for help then."

            She shook her head. "Phone taps, Shiro. If I need help, I will contact you via other means."

            His eyes went from her to Kyosuke, who had come up behind her. "Alright, doll. You're taking quite a risk with this though."

            "I realize that."

            He handed her a third card. "Use this to purchase your uniforms. There's enough cash for both fuku and supplies for three days. So that's all of the time you've got."

            She looked over the card. "All right."

            "Make this simple. Find the girl and get out. We'll be on stand-by."

            "Nothing is ever simple, Shiro. 'Especially not _that simple." _

            He sighed. "I know. I know."

            Komugi nudged Keiko and handed her a small black backpack. She adjusted the straps and checked the fit. She leaned back and stuck the bank card in a mesh pocket on the side.

            Kyosuke put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned around. 

            "If I ask you again not to go, not to fight my battle, would you reconsider?"

            She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "No. Never."

            He jumped slightly, and started to blush. He closed his eyes and looked away from her.

            Keiko backed away, grabbed Komugi by the arm, and started to drag her to the front door. She put up a considerable fight, being rather annoyed over what she had just witnessed. Keiko opened the door and thrust her into the hallway. She stepped in the hall and grabbed the door.

            "We'll be in touch!" She told them with a wink, and shut the door behind her.

            "Aww!" Crooned Shiro. "How cute." He sighed. "Unfortunately, that's going to drive Komugi crazy, and then she's going to drive me crazy. Which is going to make for one hell-of-an ordeal when we actually try living here."

            "Poor you." Kyosuke told him with a slight smile.

            Shiro threw his hands up and walked away. "Really, Poor me! Why can't you two just be normal and go…just go do it…"

            "Because…then all of this would be for nothing." He told him, leaving the apartment quietly.

            Confusion hit Shiro, left once again alone and befuddled. "But…why?" He sighed. "Why can't you two just be happy? It would make life a hell of a lot easier for me."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* "Sick and Tired" by _Default_

  


_Chapter 12: Remembering God and Readin' Too Much_

_            "I'm not growing up, I'm just burning out…and I stepped in line to walk amongst the dead…"*_

**_The Following Day…_**

            Keiko simply hated waiting in line.

            Wait…wait… wait… Keiko thought. I hate waiting in line.

            Komugi nudged her. "What's your problem?"

            Keiko half-turned around and looked at her. "I have a lot of trouble standing in line. I don't like waiting."

            She frowned. "I already figured that out."

            Keiko scowled at her and straightened her uniform's skirt "What's that s'posed to mean?"

            Komugi looked away. "Forget it."

            Keiko turned back around. "I don't get it." She said aloud, with confusion.

**_Two Hours Later…_**

_            What the heck is Komugi's problem? She's acting like a little kid. Keiko wondered. __Oh yeah, she is a kid…_

            She had refused to sit anywhere near Keiko in the school's lecture halls, and had not spoken to her at lunch so far. Keiko could deal with the fact that she was mad at her, but it was becoming a nuisance in that nothing had gotten done. They had yet to find their target, and there was talk about the girls that had gone missing previously.

            Keiko pushed the food on her plate around with her fork. _Reminds me of hospital food. She realized. __It has the same inedible quality._

            Komugi appeared across the table holding her tray. She sat down without asking Keiko, and began to eat quietly.

            Keiko looked up at her. "I thought you weren't planning on associating with me here? Or is it just pettiness."

            She swallowed and looked at her hard. "I'm still annoyed. But I had to sit over there. I've got the info on our target."

            Keiko leaned back in her chair and stretched. "Why don't you just tell him and get it over with?"

            Komugi dropped her fork in mid-bite, letting it clang onto her tray. "What?"

            "Oh come on. I'm a little slow, not stupid. I know how you feel about him. Just go get it over with." 

            Komugi seemed disappointed. "I should have known you knew. I suppose my fit when we left the apartment was kinda revealing."

            "Only revealing as these damn uniforms." Keiko told her, smoothing out her shift. "Sheesh, I wouldn't let my kids dress in there little skirts."

            Komugi pointed at her, laughing. "That's because you're way too old to wear it! It's an old man's fantasy!"

            Keiko threw a dinner roll at her, laughing. "Shut up! That is just sick!" She calmed down. "But you're avoiding the subject. If you don't tell him, he's never going to know."

            She scowled. "It's hard. And hasn't he like…figured it out yet…"

            "I know. But he's a guy, and he's clueless. You'll practically have to wave your…hands…in front of his face to get the point across."

            She giggled, and then sighed. "I get it."

            Keiko wanted to redirect the conversation. She wasn't exactly thrilled having to tell Komugi to go throw herself at Kyosuke to make herself feel better. "So, who is it? Who is the Flicker?"

            Komugi had gone back to eating. "It's funny, but I think at one point there was more than one here."

            Keiko blinked. "Really?"

            She nodded. "Yes, there's a lot of talk about two other girls from this school that suddenly went missing."

            Keiko mussed over the food on the plate. "How strange."

            "The girl we're looking for is named Sayaka Tachibana. I think she's the quiet girl in our Calculus class."

            "Heh, which one? Practically everyone here is like that. No one ever talks." Keiko told her, surveying the cafeteria. "It's like they're all stoned or something."

            "And you know about being stoned, how?" Komugi asked 

            Keiko threw her other dinner roll at her. "Oh shut up."

            She giggled and brushed it onto the floor. 

            Keiko looked at Komugi's empty plate. "Man, how can you eat this crap? It tastes like cardboard."

            They stood up from the table and prepared to leave. It was a good five minute walk to their fifth class, and they had only a few minutes to spare.

            Komugi picked up her bag. "I dunno. Must be the mutant in me that likes it."

            Keiko turned around and picked up her bag. When she looked back at Komugi, she noticed she was trying to stifle a laugh. They walked to the cafe's doors and Keiko finally asked.

            "What's so damn funny?"

            She finally let the laugh out. "I said that to Shiro and he had quite a response for it."

            "What?"

            "I said 'it must be the mutant in me' and he says 'sheesh, what's 'suke got that I ain't got?'"

            It took a moment to register with Keiko, but when it did, it hit hard. "That's sick! God, he's such a perv!" She shouted. Several girls turned to stare.

            Komugi started laughing at her. Keiko started to walk away slowly, thoroughly embarrassed.

            "Oh man." Keiko said, shaking her head. "I don't know what's worse; his joke, or the fact that he's not even close to the truth."

            Komugi stopped laughing at looked at her.

            "Let's go. We're already late as it is." She told Komugi quietly.

            They walked to class in silence.

**_One hour later…_**

            _Must stay awake…must stay awake… Keiko's mind muttered._

            The teacher babbled on…

            Keiko's mind was fuzzy, and much of what she said made no sense. She stared at the textbook's bizarre words and pictures. They were pictures of a world she had never known. I have no real education. Maybe I shouldn't be here, I totally stick out. She realized.

            She could hear a faint melody being sung, somewhere, by someone.

            The words suck. Her mind realized. But why do I care?

            Her mind was starting to shut down.

            The words are stupid. Stop singing, moron.

            "Stop it…" She muttered aloud.

            Komugi had decided to sit next to her in this hour. She nudged her. "Hey, wake up. You're going to end up in detention if you don't."

            Keiko put her hands to her head. "It's too late."

            "Too late for what?"

            She shook her head. "They know we're here. We've been targeted."

            "Both?" Komugi asked quietly.

            "I know someone from the Hospital is nearby. I can't tell about the Kirihara." She felt nauseous. "Ugh, make the singing stop." 

            Komugi looked at her with concern. "I don't hear anything."

            The teacher called out their names, and they stood. Keiko legs were wobbly, and she collapsed on to the floor, banging her head on the desk.

            "Keiko!" was the last thing she heard.

            Keiko passed out.

            Keiko was startled into consciousness. Or something like it.

            The world simply wasn't right. It was like looking at an alien world on a video screen. Except with the 'color' turned all of the way up, and the 'contrast' all of the way down.

            _There's nothing here. Just colors. She realized._

            Or did she…

            _Nothing but colors.__ Everything is shapeless. Everything? There is nothing here! Her mind babbled._

            The melody from earlier floated through the scene. Strange bubbled floated about, and colors swirled in the air.

            "I've seen this before. It's like dreaming, but not really." She whispered.

            The scene suddenly shifted, and she was at the church she had fought the T-Doll at. The gaiety of the past scene wasn't here. It was real. Or something like it.

            _What? What is this? She wondered._

            Shiro walked pasted her and into the church.

            "What the bloody hell is this?" Keiko lapsed into confusion. "Shiro?!"

            He ignored her, so she followed him inside.

            A woman screamed, and small clanging was heard.

            Shiro was picking up the woman from the floor. She was bleeding, and seemed weak in the knees.

            Keiko's mind flashed back to the obituary. It's Mio. She realized.

            It was like watching a play. Or something like it.

            "Oh god, no. I can't watch this. But…" Something stuck Keiko.

            Shiro was involved in this. But why…what did he know? Her mind wondered.

            She reached out to help up Mio as well, and found her hand go straight though her. 

            "Heh. Heh. Heh. This is some sort of joke." She said aloud with a stutter. "I can't interfere. It's a re-telling, this isn't happening now. But then…"

            Shiro had pushed Mio to her feet and put the dagger back into her hand. He directed he towards the front of the church, and took off running out the back.

            "Shiro, you ass!" Keiko shouted at him. "How could you just leave!?"

            Keiko walked to the back of the church and found a frightened Kyosuke hiding in a corner. She knelt down beside him, but he didn't respond to her. It was him, yet it wasn't. It wasn't the man she knew; he seemed no more than a child. She touched his shoulder, but it was the same as with Mio, her hand simply went through him.

            Mio was standing over them suddenly.

            "Mother…I…" He stammered.

            She grabbed his throat and started to choke him. He held on to her hands, but he couldn't push her back.

            Keiko backed out of the area. I can't do anything. I finally know what it is to be helpless. She realized.

            Mio released him and he stood, visibly shaken. He made it up the two steps to the alter area and collapsed. She was over him in an instant, and forced him onto his back. She held onto his neck again, to keep him from squirming.

            "Mo…ther…" Was all he could mange to get out.

            Mio jammed the dagger into the upper right side of his chest and raked it across, slicing his heart in half. He stopped moving instantly.

            She backed away. "Kyo..suke…I'm…sorry." She mumbled, and then collapsed nearby.

            Keiko stood numb, watching blood run down the steps and puddle on the floor.

            But… She thought.

            Keiko watched herself run into the church.

            But…? She wondered. I don't remember being here. I would remember something so vile.

            Shiro followed her in, carrying his steel bat.

            She came to a stop, and Shiro came up behind her.

            "What is this? Who did this…?" Was all Keiko managed to express before Shiro brought the bat down upon her head, hard. She collapsed onto the floor.

            He knocked me out. I don't remember any of this. She realized. That night was missing from my memory.

            Shiro grabbed her by the neck of her kimono and dragged her outside. "Can't let you get blamed for this, now can we?" Keiko heard him say.

            Keiko was having trouble holding herself composed. "Make it stop. Why isn't this over yet? I've seen what happened, it can be over now. I know now."

            "Keiko!" A woman shouted. 

            _Huh? Is that my name? Is that what they call me? Her mind wondered. __So many lies all of sudden.__ Maybe everything is a lie. Maybe this is all real, or maybe it's not. Maybe we're all immortals and death doesn't exist._

            "Keiko!"

            Monsters don't have real names…Neither do gods. She realized.

            "Kei-!"

            The scene disappeared and took part of Keiko's soul with it.

            Komugi was looking over her.

            "Are you okay?" She asked.

            "How long was I out?"

            Keiko surveyed the room. She had been taken to the school's clinic.

            "A good ten minutes at least. Is it like last time?"

            Keiko shook her head, and her vision spun for a moment. "No. Someone caused this. It was unnatural."

            "Unnatural…" Komugi repeated.

            "Yeah." Keiko stood up and stretched. "Ugh…like a nasty trip, man."

            To her shock, Shiro entered the clinic. "We've got to go. Now. The Hospital is on the move in the area, we have to find Sayaka."

            Keiko flashed back to the dreams and was enraged.

            She reached back, then up, and planted a fist in Shiro's jaw, sending him reeling into the doorframe, and then onto the floor in a heap.

            "You bastard…how dare you…" She told him, with all of the bite of a snake.

            Keiko stepped over him and out of the clinic.

            Komugi looked at him, stone-faced. "Truth hurts, don't it?" She told him, following Keiko out.

            "How do you…know…" He muttered. "She was out cold."

            Komugi turned around and looked back at him. "She talks in her sleep. Loudly, I might add. I hope he doesn't mind."

            Shiro stood, rubbing his jaw still. He was slightly disoriented from the blow. "Who?"

            "God. Who do you think I meant?" She told him, walking away.

            Shiro was stunned. "Bloody hell, no…can't be…"

            He took off running after Komugi.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*"Burnout" by _Green Day_


	5. TST:BL Ch 13 through 15

_Chapter 13: Like a Rollin' Thunder Chasing the Wind, Part 1_

            _"Free love is a knife through the jugular vein son…_

_            Free love, I can't afford to add up what you fuckers are made of…"*_

            The desk intercom clicked on. 

            "Dr. Vincent, Ms. Yui Kirihara on line one."

            The elder doctor sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "Take a message, Nurse."

            The office door creaked and the nurse stuck her head in. "She's insistent, and she says it's an emergency."

            "Everything's an emergency to her; tell her I'm with a patient."

            The thin, brunette nurse shook her head. "I already tried that."

            Dr. Vincent gave up. "Put her through."

            His desk video screen started up and Yui's mug appeared in the screen. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Ms. Kirihara?"

            Her tone was stern from the get-go. "To your failure to take care of what I asked, Richard."

            She dares to call herself a lady, her attitude is utterly disgraceful. He thought.

            He tried to remain pleasant. "I'm sorry, Ms. Kirihara, we are going our best to locate her and deal with the fertility issue."

            Yui scowled. "You're tactics are going to have to change. A simple capture is no longer an option. Dispose of her in the field. She is aiding in his cause, and that's not what you designed her for."

            Dr. Vincent snarled. "These are not simple machines, they require more than protocols to run on. And there are matters of pride here."

            "Your battle with the boy is not of my concern."

            "But it should be. And if you think she will go down alone, you are madder than a hatter, Yui. Getting her alone will be enough of a task." He explained. "Even if I go after her myself, the two of them together could more than likely take even me down. I'm getting old Yui, and I don't have the strength to keep fighting your battles."

            "Stop babbling, and stop making excuses, Richard. Dispose of her."

            The video screen clicked off.

            "You're a bigger fool than even I realized, Yui." He muttered aloud. "If you think I would destroy something that took me more than a decade to create, and even longer to simply keep alive, you're mistaken. Let them do as they wish."

            He stood up from his desk in the darkened office; it was time for him to make his rounds about the Hospital. "They will rip you to shreds one day. And I plan on being alive to see them do it."

                                                                                    *

            Keiko continued to block Shiro's path.

            "Hey!" He tried to push her aside but she refused to move.

            She was standing in the only unlocked down to the outside courtyard, and she refused to move until she had a grasp of the area's layout.

            He pushed on her back. "Move!"

            She retorted by leaning back in the door frame and landing Shiro his second punch from her in less than five minutes. Like before, he landed on the floor. This time though, he spent a few moments rubbing his abdomen. 

            Komugi was to his left and Keiko gestured to her. "Go back around through the lower classroom wing. She's done for the day so catch up with her before she returns to her dorm room."

            Komugi nodded and ran off to her left.

            Shiro stood and stared her. "I don't get it, kid. What's the deal?" He asked quietly.

            She glared at him. "You put the knife in her hand and you let her do it. You let it happen because you had something to gain, didn't you? You stood by and watched her kill him. And then you turn around and play guardian to him. He was begging for her not to kill him, and you stood idly by and waited for it to be over. His blood is just as much on your hands as it was on Mio's." She pointed accusingly at him.

            He was stone-faced. "I did what I had to do. And what's done is done, life goes on." 

            She spat on the ground at his feet and then looked up. "You make me sick." She told him and stepped out the doorway.

            Shiro grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He put his face close to hers. "Don't think for a moment this wouldn't have happened anyway."

            She slammed a fist into his face, throwing him backward. He stumbled but remained on his feet.

            Keiko rubbed her fist. "You're such a selfish bastard, I swear. You're more of a Kirihara than I am. Yui would be so proud to know that."

            He panted. "Your mother's a whore and a bitch and…"

            "And you're her asshole brother." She spat. "Go ta' hell."

            She looked out the doorway, but had changed her mind about going through the courtyard. She needed to follow Komugi to make sure she had found Sayaka, and had secured her a good hiding place for the time being.

            She stepped around Shiro and followed Komugi up the East Corridor. 

            Komugi took a moment to admire the windows.

            She hadn't realized this was a one of those "religious schools." Things had seemed lax through out most of the school, and they had been allowed to get away with being nearly obnoxious in the cafeteria. It was a strange place, almost as if no one really respected religion here.

            Or they simply didn't care.

_            Maybe there's no need for religion here anymore. Maybe not anywhere. It's all been done._

            She touched a pane in one of the stained glassed windows. It was a mosaic of Mary and the Christ child done in reds and blues.

            Komugi's mind began to warp, and reality shifted. The scene was replaced by a blur of colors, which was replaced by a different reality.

            It was a church, but one she had never visited. Its walls and windows had been burned out, and only a stone outer shell remained. The inlaid floor seemed in tact, but was stained red and covered in debris and filth. 

            There was an elevated area with steps to her right, where at some point in the past an alter must have stood. Things seemed normal enough; Keiko was standing on the raised area with steps, shuffling her weight from leg to leg, whereas Kyosuke was standing on the floor, looking none-too-pleased with whatever she had to say. After a few moments, she dropped down to the step below and he walked over and stood in front of her on the floor. 

            Keiko stopped shifted and said something, and it elicited a response from him. She took a step back and he joined her on the raised platform. She whispered something inaudible, and Kyosuke pulled her to him, burying her in the folds of his cloak. He put one hand on her head, and the other across her back; while she held onto him at his midsection.

            The moment left Komugi confused. It was one of those situations where she was pained by jealousy, but in awe of whatever bond they had. 

            It was what had made her so angry at Keiko the previous day.

            A tall, thin, blond man entered through what was once the back of church, and stood a few feet behind Keiko. Shiro and a second shadowy figured entered through what was once the front door, stopping no more than five feet from them.

            The mutant couple seemed oblivious to the impending situation.

            A flash of light was seen, and the blond man jumped forward, jabbing something into Keiko's back. She automatically arched her back in response, and mumbled something no one would hear. The man ripped her from Kyosuke's grasp, ripped the knife out, swung her around till she faced him, and slammed her back-first at the floor. 

            While standing over Keiko's body, he shouted something inaudible, and pointed at Kyosuke. Shiro and the shadowed man came up and restrained him by pulling his arms behind him. As soon as the initial shock ended, be began to fight them and scream.

            The thin man turned back to Keiko and knelt on the floor. He jammed the knife into her chest, and raked it down between her breasts. He then ripped the knife out, stood, and pointed at the front of the church.

            Kyosuke started to fight even harder, and the men were straining to restrain him. Angered by what he was witnessing, it seemed, the blond man walked over to him and said something to him. 

            He then jammed his knife into Kyosuke's chest, just up and to the right of where his heart would have been. Instead of ripping it out this time, however, he left it imbedded, and motioned to the front of the church again. Having gone limp, Shiro and the other man were finally able to drag him outside.

            The blond man now turned to what seemed to be Komugi's point of view. For the first time she heard him speak…

            "What do you think you're doing, Komugi? Komugi? Komugi? Ko-"

            It was like listening to a compact disk skipping.

            "Ko-mu-gi? Ko-mu-gi?"

            She blinked and reality shifted back.

            Keiko slammed Komugi into the stone wall and shook her.

            "Come to, damnit!" Keiko yelled.

            "Hmwha?" Was her reponse.

            Keiko slammed her again. "Where is she?"

            "I…I haven't found her yet." She whimpered.

            A train of curses were on Keiko's lips but she hesitated. "There it is again…its that…music…"

            The both eyed the doors of the chapel, looked at each other, and nodded. Keiko let Komugi up from the floor and they brushed themselves off.

            They were about to enter the chapel and Keiko had a change of heart. She put a hand on Komugi's shoulder and stopped her.

            "Did Shiro say where Kyosuke is?" She asked Komugi.

            She looked at her and thought for a moment. "Shiro left him at the far end of the East Courtyard."

            _Eck. This means it's a matter of someone being the bait here. Direct whatever's after the girl as far away as possible. Take it out inside the school, in this wing, and lead it outside only as a last resort. A very simple plan. She deducted._

            "Go back to what were we originally going to do. Go to the dorm and keep Sayaka there, no matter what. I'm going to deal with the Hospital...person…myself."

            Komugi nodded and ran the rest of the corridor, and went to the left at the end.

            Keiko pulled on the double wooden doors' handles. They refused to budge.

            "Son of a…let me in." She complain, pulling again.  

            Nothing.

            And then it dawned on her, like a minor epiphany, and that she had to push these doors. 

            "I'm not stupid…I swear." She muttered, pushing open the doors and stepping inside. 

            Komugi, after wandering up and down both the second and third floors of the East dorm, managed to find Sayaka's room near the North stairwell on the second floor. Luckily, the door was already partially open so she didn't have to go through that 'I'm-knocking-on-your-door-for-a-reason-I-swear.' problem.

            The small, dark haired girl looked up from her studies at her desk when Komugi pushed on the door.

            "Umm…I saw that you're in my 4th period lecture, and…uhh…I noticed that you took really good notes…umm…I wondering if you could maybe help me understand the lecture a lit' better.

            Sayaka shut her text book and put it aside. She then pulled open a desk drawer and pulled out a ragged blue notebook. "So where are your books and notes from today?"

            Darn it…! Komugi realized. I knew something was missing! I left my bag back in the clinic!

            "Left it somewhere?" Sayaka asked. "I'm always doing that. We'll just go get it, okay? I hardly know anyone here, and the chance to meet someone is always interesting so I hope you won't mind me tagging along."

            She stepped around Komugi and started for the stair.

            Uh…not good… She realized. She said 'whatever it takes,' so I've got to come up with something. 

            "Hey! Um, do I need it?"

            Sayaka laughed. "Of course you do, silly!" She giggled, and started down the stairs to the first floor. "Where did you leave it?" She yelled back up.

            "Um, in the Clinic."

            "Okay!"

            Komugi was tempted to grab her and drag her back up the stairs, but she risked causing a bigger scene that the one she was trying to originally avoid.

            She opted to follow her down the stairs and back over to the clinic, and hoped that Keiko had taken care of the situation by the time they got there.

            Shiro had crossed the East Courtyard and met up Kyosuke by the time Keiko and Komugi had reached their positions.

            "Did anyone see you come out here?" Were the first words out of Kyosuke's mouth, his tone cold.

            Shiro pulled out his cigarettes. "Sheesh, what's with the attitude? Everyone's got an attitude all of a sudden."

            He offered one to Kyosuke, and to his surprise, he accepted. 

            "Since when do you smoke?" Shiro asked, handing over his lighter.

            Kyoskue lit up and passed it back to him. "Since I was fifteen. Helps take the edge off of things."

            "You haven't lit up once since you've been with us, why this moment?" Shiro asked, having to fumble with a lighter that suddenly wouldn't light. After a few tries he gave up and put the lighter and cigarette back in his breast pocket.

            "First time I thought about it, I guess. Haven't smoked since I came home…to…you know..." His voice trailed off, and he puffed and exhaled.

            The reminder of what had happened in the church caused Shiro a pang of guilt.

            "Ya know," He started. "There's talk that even if it happened then, it would have happened anyway."

            Kyosuke seemed indifferent to the thought. "Hm."

            The situation was becoming a burden to Shiro, and he wanted to lighten the mood. He pulled out his cigarettes again and read the warning label. "They say these things can kill you..."

            Kyosuke eyed him for a moment, and then returned to ignoring him. He already knew what was coming.

            Shiro finished his joke anyway. "…but I suppose you don't…have to worry 'bout that…"

            He sighed. He had no idea why he was even bothering, anyway. 

            They waited in silence for some signal from the East Wing of the building.

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* "Unsheathed" by _Live_

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_Chapter 14: Like a Rollin' Thunder Chasing the Wind, Part 2_

_            "You'll rescue me, right?_

_            In the exact same way they never did…_

_            I'll be happy, right? _

_            When your healing powers kick in…"*_

            The organ was being played…

            _This chapel is a lot bigger than it looks like from the hallway. Keiko realized. _

            The school had obviously spared no expense. The floor was done in wood, except for the area of the altar, which was done all in white marble, with brown marble highlights. Off to the right of the entrance was a choral section, and to the left were two rows of off-set pews. Straight back was the altar of marble on raised pedestals. 

            The organ continued to play… 

            In sharp contrast to the tasteful décor, was the large, light-up crucifix that hung to the left of the altar area. It was done in cheap white glass panels, rimmed with a brass shell.

            It looks like something from the "red light district." One of those "we'll have you hitched in under ten minutes, or the wedding's on us!" deals. Keiko thought. 

            The organ continued to play…

            Keiko walked over an inspected the cross. "Son of a! It actually lights up! This thing IS from the 'red light district,' alright!" She reached behind in and unplugged it. The cross' internal lights flickered and went out. "I'm not the religious type, but even I think that having this here is nothing sort of sad."

            The organ stopped.

            Keiko turned around and finally noticed the organ's location in the balcony, above the entrance.

            No one was there.

            "Oh sh-" Was all she got out before she was slammed into the glass and brass crucifix.

            Sayaka stopped in the hall, in front of the chapel doors, and cocked her head to the side. "I wonder what that crashing noise was."

            Komugi was not about wait around and find out, and started dragging her away by the arm. "Come on, let's go, I'm sure it's nothing."

            "Stop! Let me go!" She protested and pulled away.

            The right hand door fell off its hinges and fell outwards, followed by part of a wooden pew that was once bolted to the floor.

            Sayaka screamed and backed up against the inner wall. Komugi was forced to push her out of the way as the rest of pew followed the first part, pushing the door out into the hall and into the wall where they had been standing. Falling back, each of them ended up on one side of the door way.

            "Just keep going, Sayaka!" 

            But the young schoolgirl was shaken, and cowered against the wall.

            _Damnit__! Thought Komugi. __Now what?_

            "I don't know what you're talking about!" Keiko shouted, ducking to avoid a flying shard a wood. 

            The Hospital mutant doctor sighed. "Stop playing with me, child!" He screamed, throwing a broken pipe from the organ at her. The pipe smacked into her gut and she was knocked back into alter, hitting her head. 

            Keiko doubled over and put her head to knees. Aw damn…

            "Now tell me where she is!" The psycho doctor shouted at her.

            She panted. "Go…to…hell…"

            The doctor jammed the pipe into her side and she gasped. He ripped it out, picked her up by her long, violet hair, and held her in midair. "Tell me!"

            She reached up underneath the hem of her skirt and pulled the tiny box off that she had stitched to the inside seam off. She flicked it, and a small electric blade appeared.

            The doctor swung her, slamming her wounded side into the altar's cold stone. "Where is the Flicker? If you tell me right now, I might even save you a little suffering when I rip your head from your neck."

            Keiko brought the blade up between the doctor's cold hands and her own scalp, slicing her hair off. She fell to the floor, feet-first, and slammed her shoulder into the doctor's gut, throwing him backwards to the floor. She fell forward to the floor from the motion, and came down hard, whacking her head on the wooden floor. 

            The room seemed to tilt in her vision. "Ugh.." She moaned.

            The doctor had recovered, and picked her up again, this time by the front of the uniform. He slammed her into what remained of the cross, which had been reduced to florescent light bulbs in the brass frame.

            Blood started to drip from under Keiko's hairline. "Damn you…" She whispered. "What the hell are you people made out of?"

            He showed her a crocked smile. "We are just like you, made from the same material. But we don't have your sins; because of you and the rest of them, we are monsters. We kill to kill you, to take away the memory of it. Revenge for what you people have done!"

            Keiko screamed, and the blood started to run thicker, dripping down upon the uniform and the doctor's grayish hand.

            The doctor pressed her against the cross, pinning her to the sharpened edges of the brass. "If only death wasn't too good for you people. You should have to suffer."

            She screamed again, and her mind shattered.

            "What is it, 'suke?" Shiro asked leaning against an old cherry tree.

            He shook his head. "I'm not sure, something feels…sick…"

            Shiro cocked an eyebrow. "Sick?"

            Kyosuke felt nausea well up in his abdomen, and his vision blurred for a moment. "Yeah, sick…ugh…" He said, putting a hand to his gut.

            Shiro put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, 'suke?"

            He pushed him away. "I'm fine."

            "Like hell you are, sit on the ground or something!" Shiro suggested.

            The nausea seemed to swell and Kyosuke felt dizzy suddenly. "This is worse than normal…" He mumbled, shutting his eyes to avoid looking at the seemingly-moving ground.

            "Hey, maybe we should go get the girls…" Shiro started.

            'NO!" Kyosuke shouted, falling down to all-fours. "I'll be fine…"

            Shiro backed away. What hell is this? He wondered.

            He shook his head several times and the dizziness started to clear. Kyosuke stood and put a hand to his head. "Ugh…"

            Shiro looked at him, but stayed quiet.

            "I'm fine." Kyosuke told him. 

            "If you say so man." Shiro replied quietly. But I don't buy it…

            "Komugi! Help me!" Sayaka yelled across the hallway.

            A piece of the piping from the church organ flew out of the doorway and smashed through the stained glass window across the hall.

            "Stay there, 'kay? Just stay there!" Komugi yelled over the noise.

            The doors busted open and they screamed in unison.

            Keiko roared and showed the psycho doctor her fangs. Squeezing her back and pushing her arms back, she unfolded the wings that had appeared with this transformation.

            But something was different this time.

            Swish. Swish

            Huh? Keiko thought. What's that?

            Swish. Swish

            "Something's attached to…grr!" She complained aloud.

            But she couldn't take her eyes off of the doctor to check.

            Have to let it be. She realized.

            The doctor backed up and tossed a half dozen scalpels at her, Keiko pulled her left wing around and turned slightly. The scalpels stuck into the fleshy membrane, and Keiko shook them out by flapping once.

            "That the best you got, doc?" She hissed.

            The doctor swung a pipe from the organ at her, and Keiko jumped up and forward, landing on the altar. 

            "Little, monkey-brat!" He yelled, charging at her with another set of scalpels ready.

            Keiko jumped up and landed behind the doctor, putting him between her and the marble altar. She slammed an arm towards the doctor's back, but he was not prepared to fall for such a simple tactic. He half-turned before she could cover the distance and jammed the set of scalpels into her abdomen, causing her to fall back, stumbling.

            Awkward silence filed the chapel as Keiko panted and the doctor stood. 

            A small voice could be heard.

            "There!" The doctor shouted.

            Reality dawned on Keiko, and she damned it.

            The doctor slammed the back of his arm into Keiko's face, and she went rolling into a pew that had sustained heavy damage in the fight. He took off running out the door and Keiko could only watch in her upside-down position.

            "Damnit!" She shouted, righting herself.

            A girl screamed, followed by a second of a different voice.

            Horror hit Keiko and she felt the color drain from her face.

            No… She thought. Ugh, sick…I feel sick…

            Komugi stuck her head in the chapel doorway. "Let's go!"

            "I…" She panted.

            "LET'S GO!" She shouted, and took off.

            Keiko shook off the pain and went running after Komugi.

            "Something's wrong." Kyosuke muttered.

            Shiro simply looked at him, still trudging through the confusion of Kyosuke's sudden illness. He was tempted to relate it to the strange fainting spells Keiko went though, but when he had complained that is "worse than normal," he scraped the idea.

            Shiro was lost in thought, and Kyosuke took off running.

            "Hey! Wait a min…" Shiro started.

            "Go around the other way!" Kyosuke shouted back at him.

            Shiro furrowed his brow. "How come I always get left behind?" He muttered aloud, jogging off in the opposite direction.

            "We lost 'em! Darn it!" Komugi panted, leaning against a tiled wall.

            They had come down the chapel's hallway, and half way up the building's main corridor, and realized they had no idea of where to go.

            "Hey, what was that?" Keiko asked.

            Komugi listened. "Someone's coming!" She whispered, and they both hid in a doorway cut out of the wall.

            "Hey! Come out of there!" A man instructed.

            They stepped gingerly out of their hiding space, and where shocked. "Kyosuke! What are you doing in here?" Komugi asked.

            "Where is she?" 

            Keiko and Komugi looked at each other. "We lost her. The doctor's got her." Komugi whispered.

            He lit up. "You WHAT?! I trusted you two!" He shouted.

            Keiko wanted to explain, but was at lost for words. "I'm sorry, I did the best I could, but he was stronger than I had anticipated. "

            He glared at her. "You have no idea where they are?"

            They hung their heads.

            "Damn!" He exclaimed and went running past them down the main corridor.

            "Darn it, we screwed this up royally." Keiko said, scratching the back of her head.

            "This is my fault. If I had just knocked her out she never would have left the room." Komugi muttered.

            "I should have been able to beat that man; it couldn't have been that hard."

            They heard a woman scream, and they looked at one another.

            The woman screamed again, and it was louder.

            "They're coming down this hall, aren't they?" Komugi questioned quietly.

            They ducked back into the doorway. "Yeah, they must have gone around the long way around from the chapel.

            The doctor ran past towards them, dragging Sayaka along. 

            Keiko jumped out from the wall and managed to grab a hold of Sayaka's shirt, and pulled her down. She hoisted her up from the floor and pushed her away. Komugi grabbed her arm and pulled her away, forcing her to run to keep up with her.

            The doctor turned around and slammed a fist into Keiko's gut, causing her to spout a trickle of blood. She rolled onto her side and held her gut.

            "Little brat, there's only one way out of that courtyard, and I can easily come around the way." He told her, running off down the hall in the direction Kyosuke had taken.

            "Heh." Keiko muttered, spitting blood. "Have a nice death."

            She struggled to her feet and walked off after Komugi.

            Komugi and Sayaka came out into the North courtyard and were met by Shiro.

            "You two okay?" He asked.

            Komugi panted. "Yeah, we're okay."

            "Where's Keiko?" He asked sadly.

            Komugi shook her head. "She was holding off the doctor when we ran out. It's my fault things got messed up. She took a lot of extra hits because I screwed up."

            Shiro nodded. "I had a feeling."

            Keiko appeared in the doorway, holding a hand to her gut.

            Shiro walked over to her. "You okay, doll?"

            "Yeah, I'll survive." She muttered.

            He cocked an eyebrow. "Nice tail by the way."

            She eyed him. "Oh you shut up."

            "And your pretty hair…" He started.

            She shot him an icy glare, and he shut up.

            Keiko walked over and joined Komugi and Sayaka. "Is everything okay now?"

            Komugi frowned. "I don't think so. Doesn't something feel weird to you?"

            Keiko looked around the courtyard. "Yeah, it does."

            A rustle in the trees behind them was heard, and Keiko pushed Sayaka to the ground. "Get down!"

            "Wha…" She started.

            Keiko stepped one step to the right, and took a half dozen scalpel in the back. Several stuck in her dark purple wings, but several landed in her mid back. She gasped and went down on one knee. She shook and the most scalpels fell out of, she reached behind and pulled a stubborn one out with a yank.

            "Hey." Shiro said, gesturing behind them with his head. "Look."

            The turned around and watched Kyosuke slice off the doctor's head with surgical precision. 

            "Perfect. He's perfect, isn't he?" Keiko muttered, standing up. "I get the crap beaten out of me, and it takes him one hit to take the psycho down."

            He took a step, then went down to his knees, then fell over completely.

            "Crap, not again." Shiro complained, jogging away from them to the other side of the courtyard. "I'm going to get the car, go check on him, Keiko. I'll let Olivet know so he can meet us at the apartment."

            Keiko looked at him and went to ask "Shiro, what…?" but he was already out of earshot.

            Komugi turned to Sayaka. "I think it's safe now, you can go back to the dorm."

            The girl was showing signs of having been traumatized. "I…okay…" She whispered, walking to the doorway.

            "I'm going after Shiro to show him how to get back here, we'll be right back!" Komugi yelled back, running after Shiro.

            What the hell is going on? Keiko's mind pondered as she walked over to Kyosuke.

            He had rolled onto his side and pulled himself in the "fetal position," with one arm across his abdomen. He wasn't moving, and Keiko shook him gently.

            "Hey, come on." She whispered.

            No response.

            She shook him a little harder. "Come on, Kyo'."

            No response.

            She put a hand to his gut and he grimaced and moaned. 

            She pulled her hand back. "What happened?" She asked quietly, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You're really pale."

            He opened his eyes, and then shut them back. "Sick…"

            Keiko put an arm under his shoulders and tried to pull him to a sitting position, and he tried to pull away.

            Keiko pulled him back, and pulled him upright, leaning his back against her chest. She put a hand to his forehead and noticed how warm he was. "I don't think you're in any condition to fight back over this."

            He sighed and she felt him relax slightly, but he continued to hold his stomach.

            Keiko put an arm around his gut, laying it over his. She put her other hand to his cheek and noticed it was damp. "I know it hurts, just try to relax." She told him trying to sooth him.

            Hurry up, damnit. Shouldn't take forever to get the car. Or Joe's car, or whatever… She mused.

            "I should…" He started, trying to pull away again.

            "Oh, stop it now!" Keiko complained, pulling him back. "I'll make you a deal, you let me take care of you, and I'll let you protect me, okay?"

            He tried to smile through the pain, and he relaxed fully. "I…"

            "Shush now. Enough." She told him sternly. "They'll be back in a minute."

            He closed his eyes and laid his head back against her shoulder. She put a hand onto his damp, matted hair and smoothed it. 

            The waited in eerie silence for the roar of Joe's relic of a car to be heard.

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* "Precious Illusions" by Alanis Morissette\

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_Chapter 15: Words for a Feeling_

_             "I'd take away your pain, and show you all the beauty you possess,_

_            If you'd only let yourself believe…"*_

            "Sit still!" Komugi complained. "You'll end up with more of it chopped off if you don't hold your head still!"

            Keiko stared at the close door to her room as Komugi snipped away at what remained of her once-lovely long hair. She kept insisting that Keiko would get used to wearing a bob-cut, and that it would accent her good features.

            What good features? Just hurry up and make it look right, Komugi. Keiko thought.

            "Besides," she continued. "You can't go in there anyway, Dr. O said so. Hehe, I made a rhyme!" She giggled.

            Keiko half-turned around. "How can you giggle right now? Where's your head?"

            Komugi forced her head back.

            She was sullen. "Because…it keeps me from being upset…kind of like ignoring it."

            I sometimes forget that she's really a softy. I guess so many years of stepping on peoples' feelings has made me a little oblivious to other people. Keiko realized.

            "I'm sorry; I know how you feel about him. I shouldn't be so brash, especially right now."

            Komugi snapped several more times, and then stopped. "There. All done!"

            Keiko stood up from the kitchen chair, but couldn't bring herself to go look in the bathroom mirror. She crossed her arms across her chest and rubbed her shoulders.

            I'm cold. She realized. And I wanna lay down, go to sleep or something.

            "Keiko?" asked Komugi quietly.

            Keiko looked over her shoulder. "What?"

            She looked stunned for a moment, and dropped the trimming shears on the floor. They hit with a slight clang, and short, purple hairs fell out of the blades.

            Keiko turned around. "What, Komugi? And you dropped the shears." She told her pointing at the floor, at her feet.

            "Oh! Oops!" She exclaimed, scooping them up and some of the loose hair.

            "Well?"

            "Hmm?" Komugi asked, confused.

            "Did you want something?" Keiko asked, her brow furrowing.

            "Oh um…darn, I forgot now!" She replied, sadly.

            "Alright." Keiko told her, walking into the living room.

            _Oh that was too weird! Thought Komugi. __For a second there I could 'ave sworn I was looking at Kyosuke! They are way too alike, especially now with that haircut she has. It's not like I did it on purpose or anything, either. Freaky..._

            Keiko sat down on the couch and leaned her head against Shiro's shoulder. "How you holdin' up, doll?" He asked quietly.

            She sighed. "I'm tired."

            He patted her head. "It's all the worrying. He's in good hands, so try not to worry yourself sick."

            She sat back up. "I know...it's just…you know." She said quietly.

            He sighed. "I know, doll. I know. It's hard. But try to be tough, he needs you to be that way right now."

            She half-smiled in response.

            Shiro was in a thoughtful mood suddenly. "I hope you didn't mind giving up your room and stuff. I just realized I never even asked you 'bout it, I just thought it was best."

            "I don't mind. I would have done it anyway; I'm the only one with an actual bed. Your mat has no padding anymore anyway, I've sat on it."

            He frowned in response. "I know. I need a new one, but it's not like we have any money for things like that right now. We're going to be lucky if we can afford Olivet's fee."

            "He won't refuse treatment, will he? If we can't pay all of it, that is." Keiko asked sadly.

            "No, he's got more heart than that. I doubt anything like that would happen." He told her, trying to reassure her.

            Keiko's bedroom door jiggled, and the tall and slender doctor stepped out, shutting the door behind him. He leaned against Shiro's room's door to address them; while Komugi flopped down on the couch next to Keiko.

            This guy is all of thirty. Keiko remembered. He's some sort of prodigy, so why would anyone with his talents and skills want to work down in the slums?

            He tone serious, and he didn't raise he voice above a quiet whisper. "When did you notice the symptoms, particularly the problem with his side?"

            "A few hours…" Shiro started.

            "A couple of days ago, right after I pulled him from the containment tank at the Kirihara's local facility."

            Shiro was shocked. "Keiko! I…" He simply stared at her.

            She sighed. "I have nothing left to hide anymore. If that info helps him, it's worth exposing."

            The brown-haired doctor seemed un-phased. "That info is very important. I can compare tissue samples to whatever their databases show. With your help of course, Mr. Mibu."

            He gave a slight nod. "Not a problem, Olivet."

            "Keiko, can you give me a hand with something?" He asked standing.

            Komugi frowned. "I thought you were going to tell us something about his condition."

            He gave a nod. "I will, but I want to show Keiko something first."

            She got up from the couch and followed Dr. Olivet into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.

            Komugi sulked. "I'm the nurse here, I don't get why I don't get to see."

            Shiro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's really why you wanna go in there. It's all in his best interest, huh? Are you sure you just don't want to see him a little less than decent?"

            She smacked him in the face with an old, blue throw pillow sitting on the armrest. 

            "Brat!" He yelled, grabbing the pillow from her and smacking her back with it. The force knocked her from the couch and she landed on the floor with a thud. 

            Dr. Olivet stuck his head out of the doorway. "Could you please keep it down out here? The noise is defiantly not helping the situation." He pulled back and shut the door again.

            They scowled at each and complained "It's his/her fault!" in unison.

            Shiro looked at the door and sighed, feeling a tad foolish then.

            _Poor kids.__ I really do feel bad. Shiro's mind muttered. __I hope both have it together enough to get through this. It's been rocky the last few days. I just don't know…_

            "Can you just sit with him for a few minutes so I can enter this data and start a few new files?" asked Olivet of Keiko, standing at his laptop which had taken up residence on Keiko's now messy wooden dresser. He had pushed Keiko's bed back into the corner, and because it was an old hospital cot, had rigged the height adjustment so Kyosuke was able to sit more upright.

            Keiko noticed he still had his arms across his abdomen. "Of course. But…umm…why is he half-sitting? Wouldn't he be more comfortable lying down if the pain's in his stomach?"

            "I'll show you why in a minute, okay?" He told her coldly.

            She narrowed her brow. Jerk. She thought.

            Keiko sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him, trying to smile slightly.  "Are you feeling any better?" She asked, putting a hand on his arm.

            He was paler than normal, and his breathing was still harsh. Keiko noticed that his dark blue eyes seemed a little dull, and he was cold and clammy to the touch.

            "Are you warm enough?" She asked quietly, noticing he had on only the bed sheets, and they only came up to his waist.

            "He has a fever and the chills." Stated Olivet. "Make sure he stays covered."

            "Alright." 

            Keiko stood pulled the heavier, white comforter up to his waist, and then took the pale blue blanket that was at the end of the bed and unfolded it.

            "This is one of those thermal types, so it's not heavy or bulky or anything." She told him, holding it up.

            Kyosuke seemed indifferent to the thought, and Keiko felt a pang of sadness at his reaction, or lack of.

            She sat back down on the edge of the bed. "Can you sit up and lean towards me a little?" She asked quietly. 

            He leaned forward and lay against her, startling Keiko slightly. She wrapped the blanket around his back and over his shoulders, but he made no effort to pull back then. Keiko put her arms around his back instead and held onto him, squeezing slightly.

            "Hey now, when did I become the bed?" She joked quietly, rubbing his back gently. 

            _She put a hand to the back of his neck and noticed fresh sweat and damp hair ends there. The fever is pretty high, I guess. She realized. __He's really lethargic and damp._

            Olivet walked over to the bed. "This is a good chance to check his breathing at rest." He explained, putting the end of his stethoscope to his back. He left it there for a few seconds, moved it to the other side of his back, listened, and pulled back.

            "This is what I wanted you to hear." He told Keiko, putting the ear buds of the stethoscope on her ears. "Listen and tell me what is wrong with this noise?" He asked, putting the metal amplifying disk to Kyosuke's back.

            She listened for a few seconds. "It sounds like something's rattling in there." 

            Olivet nodded. "Exactly. And combine that with the fever and stomach cramps, and what do you have?"

            Keiko thought for a second. "Stomach flu?"

            He stepped back to the dresser and turned his laptop around, showing her the screen, full of chemical formulas and line-graphs. "Uh-huh, except this is a 'super' flu, of sorts. It's been genetically engineered to react with certain chemical markers in the system, increasing its effectiveness twenty-fold."

            "Alright, so…"

            "But that's not what concerns me the most." He added.

            Then what the hell does? Keiko wondered.

            He pointed at a graph on the screen. "The fact that according to the virus' properties and Kyosuke's chemical make-up, he's only fulfilled a tiny percent of the requirements for it to be effective."

            "Which means…"

            "That this wasn't meant for him. He was infected by mistake." He continued, clicking on a window on the screen. Keiko's name and DNA sequence popped up. "Do you see the highlighted parts?" He asked.

            Keiko was starting to grow frightened and squeezed Kyosuke tightly involuntarily, causing him to sputter several times. "Yes."

            He pointed at several highlighted places. "Those are all of the chemical markers that would react if you were infected by it. You'd be dead within the hour of being infected because all of these have to do with chemicals vital to living, including sugar levels, carbon dioxide, and oxygen."

            "That's what you wanted me to see alone, wasn't it?" She file asked sadly.

            He closed the lid on the laptop. "Yes."

            "Is there anyway to treat it?"

            "It will take some time, but I think I can break apart its chemical structure enough create something to at least stop the disease from progressing from viral to bacterial. If it becomes bacterial, it'll be twice as hard to kill."

            She looked at Kyosuke. "There's nothing else we can do in the meanwhile? He seems to be in pain."

            "He more than likely is. One of the things being affected is his digestive system because his acidity levels are off in his tract. Essentially, his gut is full of acidic fluids right now. I can give him morphine, and then leave you some to administer later on, but you can't let him get dependant on it."

            "Alright. What about the fever?"

            "Straight aspirin should be able to make it peak. And if it doesn't peak in twenty-four hours, call me right away." He told her. He reached into his briefcase-sized medical supply kit. "I'm going to leave this as well." Olivet added, holding up a small, white, plastic box, and then setting it on the dresser. "This thermometer also checks pulse rate and oxygen levels, so it's pretty handy. If you can remember, write down the levels it gives you so I can keep track, alright?"

            Keiko rubbed Kyosuke's back again. "Of course."

            The doctor tucked his computer away in a large, black duffel, and closed up his medical supplies, leaving out only a bottle of prescription-strength aspirin and three vials of a whitish fluid and a syringe. He jammed the syringe into one of the vials rubber say the stoppers and pulled, filling it. He tossed the empty vial in Keiko's black, plastic trash can and turned to her. 

            "Lay him back and we can finish this up. I already gave him a set of aspirin, so give him the next set in no less than four hours, and the next morphine shot in no less than eight, understood?"

            "Yes sir." She told him, leaning Kyosuke back on the bed.

            He pushed the blanket back, and felt his arm for a moment. Finding a vein half-way up his arm, Oliver emptied the syringe and replaced the blanket. He turned and left the syringe on the dresser with the other vials.

            "Keep him warm, hydrated, and in bed. Don't let him wander around or anything, because the morphine willcause him to act strangely, especially after the first time." He told her, gathering up his equipment to leave. "I will stop by late tomorrow afternoon unless you call sooner or if I find some miracle cure before then." 

            "Alright, thanks you Dr. Olivet."

            He stepped to the door and pulled it open. "You're welcome. And you take care of yourself, don't get overtired or anything." He told her, trying to instill some confidence in her despite the situation.

            "I won't, doctor."

            He gave her a nod, walked out, and shut the door behind him.

            Keiko stared at the closed door, and bitterness set in. "Fool." She muttered quietly. "It's too late to save me from illness, I've already been infected. They call it Life, and it kills for sport."

            She stood up and stared at Kyosuke, who continued to pant quietly. "I'm tired of beating around the bush about this. I didn't need him to tell me what this is, I'm not stupid."

            Keiko walked to the door and took hold of the doorknob, but resisted opening it when she realized she could hear Olivet talking to Shiro and Komugi.

            "…severity of this illness…"

            "How long?" Asked Shiro.

            Olivet sighed. "…forty-eight hours max…"

            Keiko ripped open the door and appeared in the doorway, catching them off-guard.

            Olivet stood up from the couch nervously. "Keiko, I…" He babbled.

            "Save it!" She spat. "Save it for someone who needs your pity. No more lies, doctor, spit it out." She shut the bedroom door and walked toward the couch.

            "His prognosis is poor, and I say two days at the max. He just doesn't possess the needed anti-bodies for this type of infection."

            She crossed her arms across her chest. "Of course not, no one does considering it was just produced. And produced for me, no less. Minor error in the planning though set him up instead."

            Shiro looked at Keiko sadly. "Keiko?"

            She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Yes, Shiro, I knew. I already know what to do as well." She walked quietly to the front door, but was stopped by a yanking of her arm.

            Shiro turned her around and stared her down. "You have no idea of what you are doing. If you fail at this, you may not be here when…it's over. Don't be foolish about this."

            She stared back. "No one has to know, Shiro. Not even him." She gestured toward the bedroom with her head. "I can go an' be back in less than six hours. You just have to keep him alive that long." Her expression softened for a moment. "Komugi should probably be sitting with him, considering her feelings about him. It's probably better if I'm not here when it ends anyway, considering I should be the one in the bed."

            He sighed quietly. "That's irrelevant; this is not about you, but him. Stop trying to avoid the situation, and stop trying to play 'hero.'" He looked at her cold expression and sighed. "At least let me go with you. They'll know you're coming a mile away." He told her quietly.

            "No." Keiko replied flatly, and pulled away from Shiro.

            She put a hand on the outside door's handle, and stopped. She knew what was coming next.

            "Keiko?" Shiro asked quietly. "How do you plan on getting in?"

            Keiko pulled her tail up and wrapped it under her skirt. She had not even bothered to change, and unbenounced to Shiro, she was actually growing found of the schoolgirl look.

            "I don't know, Shiro." She told him. 

            Keiko turned to him, and there was a near psychotic look in her eyes. "Call it a hunch, but I think they're waiting for me this time. Like the swallow returning to its nest, I am going home. Besides, they say he's as much my father as his, perhaps even more so." She opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

            Shiro was stunned. "I thought…"

            Keiko slammed the door shut behind her, cutting him off.

            My Lord, she's gone insane already. He realized. And we still have so far to go.

            Komugi appeared at Shiro's side. "Shiro?" She asked quietly.

            Shiro ignored the question, and asked his own. "Do you believe in God, Nakahara?

            "No." She told him quietly. "Why do you ask?"

            He stared at the closed door. "Just reaffirming my ideals, that's all." 

            Komugi showed signed of confusion. "Shiro?"

            He turned away from the door and started to walk back to the living room. "What?"

            "Do you believe in God?" She asked quietly.

            "It's kinda hard to believe in something that doesn't exist."

            She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you lying to me?"

            "Because I'm afraid."

            "Of what?"

            He walked away slowly. "You'll see, Komugi, you'll see why eventually."

            She was utterly taken aback, and was then on the verge of tears, the days events having pushed her to her limit_. Heaven help us, the poor and the wretched…_

            She started to cry quietly, but no one listened.

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* "Adia" by _Sarah Mclachan_

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	6. TST:BL Ch 16 through 18

_Chapter 16: The Shepherd of My Days_

_            "Since the day that I was born_

_            Brought to this life_

_            Where was I before?_

_            Non-existent?  Not at all?_

_            Will I ever know?"*_

**_Two and Half Hours Later… _**

            An orderly stuck his head into the darkened, upstairs office. "Sir?"

            No answer. 

            "Sir? Doctor? This is somewhat important."

            No answer.

            The shadowed orderly squinted, and peered into the darkened room. "Dr. Vincent? You are in here somewhere, aren't you?"

            The sound of shifting cloth against leather was heard. "I already know." He replied with a grumble.

            "What are your orders, sir?" The orderly asked quietly.

            Dr. Vincent stood up from his couch and sat back down at his desk. "Seal off this floor from the rest of the hospital, and lock that door from the outside."

            "But sir, that means you can't…"

            "Do it." He instructed with a huff. "Now."

            "Yea…yes, Doctor." The orderly stammered, and then shut the door.

            There was a moment of dead silence and pitch blackness.

            "So you're coming home little Swallow, coming home to find yourself? Or something else?" Dr. Vincent muttered into the darkness.

            "I've been told this isn't about me…" A small voice said quietly, adding a touch of laughter for sheer shock value.

            Dr. Vincent looked up from his desk, to the far side of his office. "You've gotten quite good at that."

            "I've learned a few things from your son, but that shouldn't surprise you." Keiko explained, walking up to the mahogany and granite desk. 

            Dr. Vincent looked up at her, trying to be sympathetic to her situation, and then found it impossible. "What is it you really want?" He leered at her.

            She leaned her head back slightly, catching the slight moonlight that was now shining from the window Keiko had left open. "I want it out of me."

            He cocked his head slightly to the right. "Your eyes looked like those of a madwoman. You've lost your mind already, haven't you? You have so much farther to go; it's a little early for that."

            She snarled and exposed an elongated canine. "I don't have time for your mind games right now, Doctor. You can rape my mind some other time."

            He slid a small piece of plastic across the blotter of the desk. "Sixth floor, fifth door on the left from the elevator."

            She picked it up and stared at it for a moment. "Now tell me how to stop the disease."

            "He's probably already dead, Keiko. You've wasted your time."

            Keiko growled and grabbed the doctor by his shirt collar, pulling him forward in his seat. "Tell me." She hissed, staring him down.

            He tried to pull back. "Have a rather unhealthy obsession with him, don't you?"

            She threw him back into his seat, and the chair wavered. "If that's true, I suppose I have you to blame for it."

            He gave a slight laugh. "I suppose so."

            Keiko felt herself starting to break down, the past few hours' events finally overtaking her subconscious. "Just tell me." She whispered, hanging her head.

            It's always inside of my head. This place just brings it out of me in a rush. She thought.

            Dr. Vincent pulled open a drawer on the right side of the desk, pulled out a small metal safe box, and placed it on the desk in front of her. "Ten milliliters a day, for the next ten days. You should see some improvement in the next forty-eight hours if you get it in him soon."

            Keiko turned away from the desk, and started to walk back to the window. She turned back slightly and eyed him. "I was expecting to have to fight for this."

            That's what I wanted, and that's why I'm being denied. She realized.

            He chuckled. "I thought this wasn't about you."

            Keiko stepped up, and onto the window sill. "This is about revenge isn't it?" She asked, hanging in the window. "You'll get your revenge through me."

            He ignored her comment. "I take it you're not going to the Sixth floor right now."

            "My answers can wait." She told him, jumped out of the window, and down to the pavement.

            Dr. Vincent stared at the flapping window drapery. "Liar. You're too selfish for that kind of reasoning."

            Silence filled the room.

            He gagged suddenly and spat up blood, staining his lab coat and desk blotter.

            "Time is…blood." He muttered, and then collapsed upon this desk with a thud.

Twenty minutes later…

            Komugi sat on the edge of the bed and watched him sleep.

            Between Kyosuke sleeping and Keiko gone, it's really quiet here. She thought. 

            She had tried to listen in on Shiro's conversation with Olivet, but when the subject of fluctuating market prices came up, she gave up out of boredom. 

            She stood up and leaned on the elevated area of the bed, putting her head next to his. "Just you and me, huh? I've been waiting for this chance, I kinda have'ta admit."

            She put a hand to his chest, and his grimaced. "Not right now, Kei', it hurts there." He muttered. 

            Komugi gasped and backed up instinctively. He only thinks about her like that. She realized, sadly. 

            Kyosuke rolled his head towards her and looked at her with half-open eyes. "What are you doing, Komugi?" He asked quietly, but with a hint of annoyance present.

            She gasped again, covered her face with her hands, and turned away. "I'm sorry." 

            He exhaled noisily, and passed out from the stress.

            Komugi turned around and shook him gently. "Hey, tell me its okay! Come on, that's not fair!" Her eyes started to burn, and her vision hazed over. "You can't go…and be mad at me…" She whined.

            She sat down on the floor and put her head to her pulled-in knees. "It's not fair." She whispered. "It's just not fair…"

            It wasn't until she was about half-way home that the feeling of "being watched" finally overwhelmed her.

            The hell… 

            The alleyway was dark, but Keiko had a good feel for her surroundings. She couldn't see only in the vicinity, but with what could be tailing her, location didn't mean much. She shut her eyes and tried to feel out where the other person's energy was radiating from.

            "There!" She shouted aloud, turning around and to her left.

            One building back, on the roof's edge stood a tall, lanky, blond-haired man in white, staring intently at her.

            Keiko's memory flashed. "Father?" She wondered aloud. "No…no…" She started to babble, while walking away backwards. "It's not you, it can't be. You're…you're dead!" She clutched the box to her chest in fear.

            My child… She could hear him say inside of her..

            Keiko shirked and clutched a clump of hair with her available hand. "NO! Get out of my head!"

            Child…

            "Get away!" Keiko screamed, and took off running. "Get away from me!"

            She tried to rationalize why her long-dead father could materialize so suddenly, but realized there was no logical explanation for it. It just wasn't possible. _More monsters… Keiko realized in a panic. __Just more monsters following me…_

            She took the rest of the route home at a paranoid, full-sprint. 

**_A Half-hour later…_**

            "Hello? Hey, I'm back!" Keiko announced with a pant. "Hey…"

            The living room and kitchen were empty.

            But the bedroom door was open. She walked over and stood in the doorway.

            Keiko screamed and dropped the safe box on the floor.

            There were several small puddles of blood on the floor that were beginning to congeal, and both Olivet and Shiro had blood splatter on their clothes. Keiko walked over to the side of the bed, and Olivet went around behind her and picked up the box.

            They had lowered the bed, and Keiko stared in confusion at a new machine that he hand been hooked to. She followed the long tube that have been placed in his mouth to a machine with her eyes, and didn't know what to make of it. "What's this?" She asked quietly, putting a hand to his cheek.

            Shiro walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's a ventilator. He can't breath of his own because his lungs are so full of fluid." He told her quietly. 

            She shook him gently. "Hey, it's me. Kyo', come on, look at me."

            No response.

            Komugi sat in the corner and sniffed. "He's been comatose for over a half-hour now." 

            Keiko sniffed, then clenched her fists. _They've been just keeping him alive so I can say goodbye._

            Olivet opened the safe box and filled an empty syringe. "Do you still want to try this, Shiro?" He asked when he was done.

            He cocked an eyebrow in response. "Why are you asking me?"

            "Because she's obviously too enamored with him to make any rational decisions about this."

            Shiro grabbed the syringe from him and stared the doctor down. "Get out."

            Olivet took a step back and was obviously confused. 

            "Out!" 

            Olivet frowned. "If you plan on trying this, I have no control over what happens."

            "Five minutes ago you were ready to issue a death certificate. Don't tell me about this situation now or an hour from now or whenever!" Shiro hissed, and then softened. "How much, doll?"

            "'Ten milliliters a day, for the next ten days'" She replied.

            He turned and opened the IV fluid line that Olivet had set up. He inserted the needle into it, pushed in the plunger, and closed the line.

            Keiko put a hand on his shoulder. "He's cold."

            Shiro handed her pale yellow blanket that Komugi had gotten down from the top of Keiko's closet. "Here."

            "Thanks." She told them while wrapping him in it, then smoothing it out over him. "Much better." She whispered, trying to sound even a little bit more upbeat.

            "You're all in denial. He's practically a corpse already." Olivet proclaimed, before finally following Shiro's "advice" about leaving the scene. 

            No shit. Thought Shiro. 

            Keiko pulled the sitting stool at her dresser out, sat it next to the bed, and sat down upon it. I'm so tired. She thought, as she laid her head down on the bed and held onto his arm.

            Shiro ushered Komugi out of the room, and shut the door quietly behind them.

            Keiko's emotions overflowed, and she started to cry quietly, her face buried in the blanket she had wrapped him in. "I'm sorry I wasn't here. I know I should have been. I'm so sorry."

            The door creaked open and Komugi peered in. "Keiko?" She whispered. "You gonna be okay?"

            Keiko took no notice, and went long sobbing quietly to herself.

            Komugi pulled back, shut the door quietly, and leaned on the door handle. _Of course she's not going to be okay. She sniffed and her eyes burned. __Now I remember why I don't believe in God. No benevolent god would make us suffer like this._

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* "Six Feet Under" by No Doubt

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_Chapter 17: Abused for Being Strange, Part 1_

_            "Nothin' takes the past away_

_            Like the future_

_            Nothin' makes the darkness go_

_            Like the light_

_            You're the shelter from the storm_

_            Give me comfort in your arms…"*_

            Two small figures ran across a city's square. It could have been any city, in any town, except for one unique feature.

            The massive Gothic cathedral with its ever-impressive Rose Window.

            "Papa, wait up!" a little girl's voice chirped.

            "Hurry or we'll miss the sunset!" a middle-age man could be heard retorting.

            The small girl, with her platinum blond hair and aquamarine blue eyes, came to a stop at the cathedral's steps and stared up in amazement. The Window was on the other side of the building, but the front with its three sets of massive wooden doors and rough carvings of gargoyles and demons were almost as impressive to the young gazer. 

            "Wow! It's really big up close!"

            The man bent down next to her and looked up towards the cathedral with her, his blond hair shining with the fading daylight. "Come on, we'll miss the sunset if we don't hurry. Here…" He offered his arms. "I'll carry you."

            "Oh-kay!" She chirped, with a smile on her face, and jumped up into his arms.

            He picked her up and carried her up the stone steps, and walked into the one door that had been left open. His footsteps echoed through the grey marble eaves, and bounced off the stained glass windows.

            The little girl looked at the Technicolor windows as he walked up a set of stairs leading towards the upper balcony of the church. "Papa, what's that one about?" She asked, pointing at one of windows. It was of a woman in blue, with a small child in her lap.

            He hosted her up slightly and kept walking. "We'll talk about it later, okay."

            "Aww," she whined, quietly. "You're no fun, Papa."

            "Hm."

            They arrived at the back of the cathedral, on the upper balcony. He knelt down and set the little girl down on the floor. He then pushed on a low doorway at the lower right of the Rose Window and then ducked through. The little girl was preoccupied with looking at the window close up and had no notice of the doorway at first.

            "Are you coming? You're gone miss it." He called back through the doorway.

            "I'm coming! Wait! Wait!" The little yelled, and ducked through the doorway.

            Her father had not lied; the sunset from the church balcony was truly a magnificent sight. It had a perfect line of sight view of the sun setting between two distant mountain peaks. He picked her up and set her up on the outer railing of the balcony.

            A hint of metal gleamed behind his back.

            The sun finished setting and the girl waved. "Bye-bye sun!" She noted cheerfully.

            "Prove me right, kiddo." The man muttered and pulled the dagger from behind his back.

            "Hm. What Pa-?" The little girl started.

            He jammed the knife in to the little girl's chest; the force knocking her over the balcony.

            She never screamed, and went quietly into the night.

                                                                                    *

**_The Following Day_**

            "He really does look much better. I'm quite impressed." Olivet commented, seemingly offhanded as he packed away the ventilator.

            Keiko sat on the edge of the bed playing with the ends of Kyosuke's hair. "He said not more than a day or so to see improvement. I almost didn't make it in time through." 

            "Hm. I suppose so."

            Keiko eyed the doctor. He gives me the creeps. And this is a girl involved with a dead guy talking. It's not like I freak easily...which means there's really something weird about him.

            Shiro came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You holding up okay, doll? I see you finally found time to change." 

            Keiko looked down at her lightly faded, short, pink kimono. She normally didn't wear such frilly colors, but she hadn't had time to clean most of her clothes recently. "This one is old, but it has sentimental value. I can't quite bring myself to throw this one out."

            He patted her shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about it. But…"

            Keiko looked up at Shiro. "What's wrong?"

            He looked off to the side. "I need you to go down and work at Joe's today. We're really broke Keiko, and as it stands right now we can't even buy food, and paying Dr. Olivet is out of the question right now."

            The temptation to stand up to Shiro and whine like a little girl was strong, but she fought it back. "I see."

            "He's already out of the woods, doll. And he's not awake yet so it's not like your missing anything. Besides, he'll need you later, and I'm sure you'll want to be here then, as opposed to waiting for him to wake up." He explained, removing his hand from his shoulder.

            She sat watching the bed for a moment in silence. 

            "Fine. Give me a few minutes to get ready to go." She finally told him. It wasn't that she disagreed with him. She just wished that he would get a job too.

            Keiko half-turned in her seat and watched Olivet finish packing and Shiro help him carry his remaining equipment from the room. Shiro gave her a nod and shut the door behind him.

            Keiko looked at Kyosuke and noticed something odd. She put two fingers to his neck and checked his pulse, put her hand on his chest, and then sat back in her seat.

            "How long have you been awake?"

            Kyosuke opened his eyes slowly and then rolled his head over towards her. "So you could tell."

            She leaned towards him. "Yeah, your breathing's a lot deeper than that when you sleep. I knew something was up. And I'm now under the impression that Olivet's a quack. He couldn't even tell his patient was no longer comatose."

            He rolled his head back and stared at the ceiling. "I'm so tired still." He told her quietly.

            Keiko stood up, pushed the stool under the bed, and sat on the edge of the bed. "I had a feeling. You haven't really been sleeping." 

            "Don't tell them I'm awake yet. I don't think I'm ready to deal with all of the chatter." He told her, closing his eyes and shifting in the bed slightly.

            Keiko stood up and sauntered over to the closet. She shift amongst several gaudy kimonos and began to really wish she had done her laundry.

            "Wear what you have on, it's fine." Kyosuke mumbled. "But your tail's showing."

            She looked over at him as she tucked her tail back under the thin, cloth belt she wore under the kimono. "You just don't want me making a bunch of noise changing, do you?"

            He muttered something incoherent.

            "What a stick in the mud. Were you this fun when you were alive, too?"

            The words stung, and he forced himself upright in bed. He wasn't strong enough to sit up completely, so he was somewhat hunched over. "That was low." He whined.

            Keiko walked back over, plopped down on the bed, and supported him under his arms. He gave up supporting himself, and laid against her, but instead of feeling joyous, or even slightly elated, a twinge of discomfort hit her.

            _This is the kind of thing a mother does. I sort of feel like I'm just a replacement for her. She thought sadly. __Maybe that's all this is – "mothering." Maybe I'm only in love with him because everyone says I should be. I think I'm in love because so many people have told me that's what's right, and that's what is supposed to happen. 'This is what the DNA says,' 'this is what the Bloodlust does to people.' Maybe I'm just following what I've been told._

            Keiko looked down and noticed that he had fallen back to sleep. She pushed him back gently and laid him on the bed, and then pulled the blankets up to the center of his chest.

            She stood up and looked at him, the sadness continuing to creep over her psyche. _I love him, but maybe I'm not in love with him. Maybe. I don't know. She pondered. _

            She picked up a small satchel that was on the dresser, and walked to the door. She put a hand on the handle and stopped. "Why is it that I'm also so upset before I go to work? It seems like really bad timing or something." She whispered to herself. "Someone's idea of a good time is making me hurt, it seems."

            She walked out, shut the door behind her, and left for The Blue Moon.

**_Two Hours Later…_**

            "How you holdin' up, kiddo?" Joe asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

            Keiko brushed his hand away. Why does everyone do that to me?

            "I'm fine Joe." She told him stoicly.

            "Alright. Can you bus table number eight, in the corner?" He motioned with his head to the far corner of the bar from their position. "It's been like that for almost ten minutes and no one will sit there with that mess."

            Keiko took notice of the half-dozen empty highball glasses on the table. "Sheesh, it's only noon and people are already getting plastered."

            Joseph shrugged. "It's a tough world. Some people gotta drink their lunch to get through the day, I suppose."

            They don't really know how tough life can be then. Their lives can't be so hard that if they aren't sober, they still won't miss anything, or miss that last goodbye to someone who might not…

            Keiko found her eyes stinging and she rubbed them with the back of her hand quickly, before Joseph could take notice.

            Stupid place. I hate this place. Her mind complained.

            It was then they took notice of a disturbance at the bar.

            "Stupid punks." Joe complained walking towards the bar. "Always looking to start something here."

            Keiko watched the situation progress from half-way across the establishment. A younger man with dark hair, dressed in black had a bank note in his hand, and was standing at the bar asking for something. A slightly older male patron sitting next to where he was standing turned to him; the younger man shot him a glance and then ignored him, much to the disdain of the seated customer.

            Joseph walked over to the two patrons and asked if they were going to start something, to take it outside. The younger man eyed Joe and then headed for the exit. The older man slid off of his bar stool, pulled out a bank note from his back pocket, and laid it on the bar's counter. Joseph put a hand up as a gesture of "relax" and the man seemed to give him a nod, before heading out of the bar.

            Joseph walked back over to her and Keiko watched the door nervously for a moment or two. "Stupid punks." Joe complained again. "They're always starting trouble here, ain't that right, kiddo?

            Keiko ignored him and walked over to the bar. "Hey, give me my bag, okay?" She asked the afternoon bartender, who oddly enough was Joe's wife, Elisa. 

            The slightly overweight blond haired woman picked up the light pink satchel from the counter behind the bar and handed it to her. "You leaving already? Joey ain't gonna pay you much for your work."

            Keiko had already started to walk away when Joseph stopped her from leaving. "Kiddo, you've barely done anything."

            She smiled at him. "I know, Joe. But I made double what you'll pay me for a full day in tips already. That's why I wasn't in any hurry to clean that table and get rid of them. Those guys paid me good."

            _Come'on__, let me go already, I need to get outside. Her mind complained._

            He lifted an eyebrow. "'Paid you?' For doing what?"

            She showed him a lecherous smile. "That's none of your damn business, is it?"

            He was visible taken aback and absent –mindly stepped out of her way. 

            She laughed to herself. Ha. He is a pervert. I figured a little suggestive imagery would be all it took to get him to let me go early. 

            Her laughter ceased when she stepped outside.

            The older man had his back to her, but was no more than a few feet from the doorway. Had it been any other patron of the bar, they probably would have screamed at this point, but such violence was mild compared to what she had already seen in her days. The younger man, standing opposite of him, but in Keiko's line of sight, shifted his gaze to her for no more than a blink and then returned it to the older patron. He was holding his upper right arm with his left hand, and Keiko noticed several small blood splatters on the ground around him.

            "I was gonna be nice about it, kid, but I can't be nice about it now. Your kind are all alike. Nothing but a bunch of spoiled brats living off the pain of others." The older man babbled, his words slurred by the alcohol.

            Keiko took notice of his tattered coat at this point, and realized that his goal was probably nothing more than a free drink, but when the younger man refused, he got violent. He doesn't have any clue what he's doing. That's why this is so dangerous.

            The younger man's gaze shifted to Keiko again, and this time the older man took notice. He turned around and looked at her, then lunged. 

            The younger man yelled "He's got a knife!" but it was too late. The man slammed into her, but managed to lodge the knife in the side of the doorway instead of Keiko. 

            Keiko was stunned for a moment.

            But it passed unusually quickly, even for her.

            Keiko dropped her satchel and slammed an enraged fist into his gut, throwing him backwards. "Back off!" She yelled at him, without much thought. 

            The drunken man stumbled back several steps and stared at Keiko. "You…you're strong for being a little bitch."

            That was it. Keiko had had it with him.

            Keiko pulled him up by his label and stared him down for a second. She then proceeded to throw him up against the wall of the bar, knocking him unconscious.

            "Don't call me a bitch." She muttered afterwards.

            "I didn't need your help. I was fine. I would have been fine." The younger man told her coldly.

            Keiko turned around; she had almost forgotten he was there.

            He stared at her intently with only one eye, for the other one was covered by his steel gray hair which hung loose on his head. He stood at most half a head taller than Keiko, and his figure looked almost emaciated. His eyes were a deep indigo, but his anger seemed to tint them black. He continued to hold his arm with his hand; and he panted deeply, despite his attempts to hide it.

            "You were fine? He already stabbed you once, how long until you were going to be fine?"

            He squeezed his injured arm and stared at her in anger.

            Keiko stepped over to the fallen drunk and pulled his knife from his hand. It was little more then a small stiletto, but the entire blade was covered in a thin layer of drying blood.

            Sorry Grandfather, but I gotta do it. She realized.

            She put the edge of the stiletto to the hem of her kimono and made a cut an inch deep, then tossed it to the ground. She then proceeded to rip the bottom inch of the kimono off, leaving a ragged hem and a shirt even shorter than before.

            Keiko turned around and took a step to him, and he took a step back in response. 

            "Oh stop it. You're bleeding for Pete's sake." She told him, walking over before he could react and recoil in response. She pulled his one arm down and took a hold of the injured one. 

            "Hmm. The hole's too small." She told him, and then took a hold of material surrounding the stab wound's hole. The material was a sort of velvet or velour, and it obviously wasn't a cheap shirt. Nevertheless, she pulled and heard several threads pop. Keiko retightened her grip and gave it a final pull, ripped a large hole in the sleeve.

            "Stop that." He told her coldly, staring her down with his visible eye.

            She squeezed his upper arm and he flinched. "Stop complaining or it'll hurt worse." 

            She put the material under his arm, making the length on each side as even as possible, then wrapped it in both directions, covering the entire area of the wound. Keiko wrapped the ends together, but noticed that he had already started to bleed through the bandaging. She pulled the shirt material back over and let his arm go. 

            "It's not going to stop the bleeding, but it'll give it enough pressure until you get to a hospital. They can take care of it a lot better than I can."

            He walked away from Keiko and started to poke about in a bush along side the doorway to the bar.

            What a jerk! He could have at least said 'thanks.'

            He seemed to find what he was looking for and bent down inside of the bush. When he pulled out, he held a sword in his hand.

            Keiko stared for a moment. That's…

            It was the katana that Keiko had killed so many with, and had even stabbed loved ones with.

            "Hey, that's mine!" She exclaimed, pointing at it. 

            His visible eye grew larger, and he backed up a step. 

            Keiko took a step to him. "Where did you find it? You fixed it! I…" She started.

            He backed up another step, and then took over running up a narrow alleyway.

            "HEY! Wait! That belongs to me!" She yelled.

            She backed up, grabbed her satchel, and took over running down the alleyway.

Fifty-five Minutes Later

            Keiko came to a densely populated street and was forced to stop running. She was panting and needed a moment, anyway, so it was as good a moment as any to stop the pursuit.

            You wouldn't think a guy with a three-foot-long sword would be so hard to find in this town. But…my God is he fast. I haven't had a run like this in ages.

            Keiko looked about at her surroundings. She had been going at a full sprint, and had covered the distance between the bar and Tokigawa General Hospital in two-thirds the normal time for her.

            She looked up at the façade of the building. It seemed colder than usual. 

            Rummaging about in her satchel, she found the plastic card Dr. Vincent had given her. _I suppose this is as good a time as any, considering I don't think I can run anymore._

            She slipped around the side of building and leapt up to the first floors' window ledges, and pulled open a window. Might was well walk around inside. It's probably safer right now, anyway.

            She slipped inside and proceeded to climb to the sixth floor of the Hospital.

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* "Nothing Really Matters" by Madonna

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_Chapter 18: Abused for Being Strange, Part 2_

_            "Mother, father please explain to me_

_            How this world has come to be_

_            Unequaled in her blessings, oh, I see_

_            Unbridled hatred so extreme, please tell me…"*_

**_Ten Minutes Later…_**

            Keiko walked the sixth floor and counted aloud. "Six-o-one, six-o-two, six-o-three, six-o-four, six-o…five." She came to a halt outside of the fifth door from the elevator.

            It looked like every other oversized, wooden door in the hall. She pushed down on the steel handle and pulled the door open. It was heavy, and slow to respond to her pulling.

            She stuck her head in. "Hello?"

            The room had a strange layout, and it wasn't so much a room, as a door to a secondary hallway. There was a small area to the right with white-washed walls that held nothing, and a small corridor that continued in front of her. The entire area was over lit with florescent lights, and the sheen of the pale brown tiles reflected the light up and around the room, creating a dizzying effect of sorts.

            Keiko stepped into what appeared to be an alcove of sorts, and the door shut forcibly right behind her. Ooh, that was a close one. She put her hands to her rear and she felt her tail fall out of the belt and fall down below her kimono's hemline. 

            She was tempted to fiddle with the belt under her clothes, but an elder woman's scream broke her concentration.

            Instinct kicked in and she went running down the corridor, coming to a stop when she came across a pair of elderly nurses backing up in the hallway. One wore a white lab coat and blue hospital scrubs underneath; the other wore a set of green hospital scrubs, but no lab coat. Both had paper face masks and brightly decorated paper caps to cover their hair.

            "Do something!" The woman in green yelled.

            "YOU do something!" The women in the lab coat yelled in return.

            Huh? Keiko's mind wondered.

            They turned to the small woman with a tail and screamed, then backed away from her. 

            "I…" Keiko stammered, her sense lost for a moment

            The women in the lab coat pointed nervously towards Keiko's right.

            She turned and looked, and then put her hands on her hips. "It's YOU! Give me back my sword!"

            It was the young man from the bar, but he didn't seem to be quite as composed this time around. His hair covered most of his face, and the top of his shirt was open. He was inside of a cubby, the size of a small room, and was ready to attack. His fighting stance was obvious, and Keiko could easily see why the nurses were frightened. 

            Keiko stepped between the nurses and the young man, and the nurses grabbed at her, trying to pull her out of the way. It wouldn't have been nearly as bad if one of them hadn't grabbed her tail instead of her arm.

            "Arg!" She shouted, half-turning to gaze them with a wild look from one eye, causing the woman in green to release her furry appendage. 

            The woman in the lab coat came to her senses and pushed the woman in green away. "Go! Go get Dr. K!"

            Keiko turned back to the young man, but her mind wandered a moment. Dr_. K?__ Grandfather still works here? Is this what Vincent sent me to see?_

            "Stay out of this! This has nothing to do with you!" He shouted, drawing back Keiko's attention.

            Keiko put her hands up. "Call down; I'm not trying to start something." She told him with as much composure as she could muster.

            She watched his hair flutter gently around his face. Gotta get him calmed down.

            She took a step forward and extended her right hand. "Just give me the…"

            His anger exploded and he charged at her. "Get out of my way!" He shouted at her.

            She had no time to react, but she did see the _katana go up into the air. Time seemed to slow down, and she felt the blade make contact with her, landing between her neck and her shoulder. The force pushed the blade down into her flesh, finally hitting her collarbone. It snapped it into two, and pushed the jagged pieces down into her muscles, and lodged the sword's blade in between the two pieces. _

            But his stunned expression and wide eyes told her she had also managed to make contact with him. He let go of the sword's handle, and leaned forward, but he was propped up on Keiko's fist, which she had mistakenly jammed into his abdomen, just below his sternum. Keiko instinctively recoiled and pulled her arm back, and he went down to his knees clutching his midsection.

            She stumbled back a few steps and clutched the exposed blade, trying to pull it upwards. She was trying not to scream, but as she bloodied her hands pulling, she cried out and sank down to the floor. She started to pant, and tried to ignore the pain.

            Keiko looked over at the young man writhing on the floor. He rolled onto his back and his shirt fell open, drawing her attention to something she had missed before – several more small stab wounds, including one in the general area that she had jammed her hand into. 

            The nurse in the lab coat approached and reached out to touch Keiko's injury. She turned and growled at her, causing the nurse to clam up and back away again. "Don't touch it." She growled.

            Keiko reached out and put a hand on top of his. _I wanna make sure he's okay…but…but look what he did! Her mind protested._

            A shadow appeared above them. "Keiko!"

            She looked up, but her vision waned from the blood loss, and she was just confused. "Shiro?"

            An elderly gentleman in a white lab coat, with white hair and a graying mustache, bent down next to her, and the shadow followed. "We need to take you to the O-R." He explained calmly.

            "Just pull it out." She told him quietly.

            "But…" He started.

            "Do it. I just can't reach the handle and I'm not strong enough with only one hand, that's why I couldn't do it."

            He looked back at one of the nurses. "Nurse Kai, hold onto her while I do this, so I don't inadvertently pull the bones up too far."

            The nurse in the lab coat stepped forward. "But Doctor K, she needs real surgery. Pulling it out won't do anything but leave a gaping wound."

            He ignored her comment. "Nurse Sani, bring me several towels. Large ones."

            The nurse in the green scrubs nodded and started to walk off.

            Dr. K remembered then and yelled after her. "Did you call the orderlies yet?" 

            She took a step back and looked at Dr. K. "They were called as soon as the situation started. I'm guessing they'll be here in a moment or two."

            "I want Karasu (1) gassed and put in the Isolation Room." He told her flatly.

            The nurse seemed perplexed. "The 'black box' afterwards, sir? Isn't that a tad extreme, even for this situation?"

            He looked up at her coldly, displeased at her questioning of authority. "No. Go tell them."

            The young man curled up in the fetal position on the floor and started to chant "no" over and over.

            Keiko absent-mindedly put her hand on his head and ran it over his hair. It's soft…like feathers. She thought, her mental confusion starting to rise.

            Her Grandfather grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back. "Don't touch him." He told her flatly.

            Be strong, okay? Keiko thought. I can't do anything, he's holding on to me.

            I can't, I'm… She could hear him answer in her mind.

            She stared at him. "I…I can hear him. Inside my head." Keiko mumbled. 

            Two brutish men appeared in the doorway and Karasu started to shake. "No…don't put me in…NO!" He stammered, his face buried in his knees.

            They pulled him up from the floor, and pinned his arms to his sides, forcing a scream out of him. He tried to pull away, and one of them squeezed the area that Keiko had bandaged earlier. He shrieked and the orderly pulled him away. "Stop fighting back and it won't hurt as much, kid." He told him flatly. 

            Karasu whimpered in response.

            Keiko jumped slightly at the sound, but she became disoriented again, and the scene seemed to shift sideways in her view. 

            "Keiko?!" Dr. K shouted at her.

            But it was too late – Keiko slumped over and blacked out.

            It would be on of those times that Keiko would remember waking up as being an experience. Instead of her trying to break into Tokigawa General, the situation had become reversed.

            And that wasn't even factoring in the soft-cuffs. 

            She was being held on of the sixth floor's other rooms; one of them that actual was a room and not a façade for something apparently more devious. They had left what she had on, but had removed the sword and bandaged the wound. Surprisingly, she wasn't in much pain, but she considered the wound's effects to be the least of her current concerns.

            Her Grandfather was standing over her bed, and she yanked the cuffs, causing them to pull against the metallic bed rails.

            "Are these really necessary?" She asked mockingly. 

            He scowled in response. "I take it you've gotten that smart mouth from staying with that lazy bum." 

            She returned the look. "Better than the bloodsucking nightmare I got from you."

            He stared at her for a moment.

            "What? Am I that much of a sight that there's no words worthy of describing it?"

            He retorted with a slap across her left cheek, causing her to fall back.

            "Bastard! You are so dead for this!" She yelled.

            "I suggest you stay quiet."

            "Take these damn things off before I have to rip the bed rails off!"

            He looked thoughtfully at the situation. "If I take them off, I want you to stay put, it's in yours…and his best interest."

            "What are you doing to him…" She whined.

            "Nothing that isn't necessary. And if you don't put up a fight, I'll show you why. You came here for an answer, and I can give it to you."

            Keiko gave up the fight, and he unlocked the soft-cuffs. Keiko sat up on the cot and rubbed her wrists. 

            He pulled a video screen on a wheeled cart up to the bed and turned it on.

            She cocked her head to the side. "There's something wrong with the hue. It's all green."

            Her Grandfather looked at her, and then back at the screen. "It's supposed to be green. It's essentially a night-vision camera."

            She learned towards it and squinted. "Is that why it's kinda fuzzy? What is that?" She asked pointing at a whitish blob on the green screen.

            He adjusted a dial to the side of the screen and a small mug-shot of Karasu and several statistics; including heart rate, oxygen levels, and various other number and letters that baffled Keiko.

            Keiko's eyes widened and she looked him at him.

            He put his hands up in front of her, trying to hold her back, at least mentally. "Hold it. I want you to understand something first. This is just as much for his safety as it is for our own."

            She snarled at him.

            "It is. Let me ask you something; what are outward signs of the Bloodlust?"

            She thought for a moment, and then frowned. "I thought it varies from person to person."

            "It does for the most part, but there's a few reoccurring symptoms, including protruding fangs and wings. And the occasional…hair incident."

            "You get 'poofy' hair, essentially."

            He seemed annoyed at her colloquialism. "Eh, yes, essentially." He turned back to the video screen and adjusted the settings, allowing for the text to grow larger. "Now consider this: what happens with a can of soda when you shake it?"

            She cocked an eyebrow. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

            "Everything. What happens?"

            "Eh…it gets all…explosive…ehh…" She stammered trying to follow his reasoning.

            "And what happens when you open it?"

            "It explodes."

            He nodded. "And what about the soda itself?"

            Some of it was starting to make sense. "It goes back to being normal soda, abet on everything it exploded on."

            The video screen beeped twice suddenly, and he turned to look at the numbers.

            "What's wrong with it?" She asked, slightly baffled about the machine ability to monitor so accurately from such a distance.

            "Nothing." He told her, resizing the text back down with an adjustment of the dial again. "Now imagine if you never opened that can, what happens to the soda?"

            "It stays ready to explode."

            He nodded again. "Correct. That is essentially what is happening to Karasu. He is the can of soda that cannot be opened because he doesn't produce the correct chemicals for manifesting the characteristics of the _Ketsueki__ Yokubo."_

            She eyed him. "Wanna explain that again?"

            He was a tad miffed at her request. "He cannot produce the outward side effects of the Bloodlust because of his chemical makeup, and because of this, he is maddened with rage and pain whenever it rises up in his system. He has no way of physically releasing the pain caused by changing."

            Keiko stood up from the cot and watched the screen. "I understand what you've explained. But those symptoms pass relatively quickly, why is there a need to keep him in the Hospital all of the time?"

            "We've discovered that the pain builds and compounds as time goes on. This is only the fifth time his gone through this and it's taking twice as much medication to keep his pain tolerance within a normal human range."

            He's hurting… Her mind considered.

            She looked up at him. "Let me try, please. Maybe I can help."

            "There's nothing you can do. Modern science cannot even help him, so I'm doubtful of any effects you might have. You could even be detrimental to his condition if he becomes attached to you in any way."

            She clenched her fists and stared him down. "How bad is the pain, really?"

            "Not nearly as bad as it could be without the gases and lightless room."

            That explains the night-vision camera. She concluded.

            Keiko made her decision. She sidestepped her Grandfather, and took off running down the white corridor behind him.

            He turned and yelled in her direction. "Keiko STOP!"

            You've left me no choice. This is what Dr. Vincent really sent me for, to see what really happens…from the other side. She realized.

            After running a dozen yards, Keiko discovered she was lost. She ended up at the end of the main hallway, which split off into two separate, yet smaller hallways.

            She put a hand on top of her head. "Ah crap, now what?" 

            Both were dimly lit and unmarked.

            "Shoot. Shoot!Shoot!Shoot!" She exclaimed aloud. "Losing my lead here."

            She looked back down the way she had come and could dimly hear footsteps. Time to choose. It doesn't matter now. She realized, then headed to the right.

            Half-way down this hall she ran into a locked, glass door which refused to open.

            "Shi…" She started, trying to pull on the handle. "Open…"

            This is too much. I mean, if even I can't open it…which means its leaded glass and is…" She released the handle. "…not gonna let me through this easily. Damn."

            She backed up and forward-kicked the pane. It rattled, but did little else.

            It was then her luck began to change. The nurse in green scrubs from earlier wandered into the hallway from an adjoining room.

            "You're not allowed to be back here. You need to go back to bed." She told Keiko, muffled by a paper mask.

            _Lie…need a__ good lie… She realized._

            "Um…my Grandfather…err…Dr. K asked me to retrieve something from this room." She explained, gesturing towards the locked door.

_            Bad lie, very bad lie. Note to self: work on lying skills. _

            The nurse walked over to the door and pulled on the handle. "I wonder why this is locked. I hope nothing's wrong."

            Then this might not be the right way. Unless this woman's dumber than a doornail. Keiko considered.

            She pulled a set of metal keys from a pocket in her scrub pants, unlocked the door, and pulled it open slightly. A faint smell of blood wafted through the hall.

_            Doornail, defiantly doornail. _

            "Heh, thanks." Keiko told her, stepping through the doorway and into what appeared to be a small waiting area.

            Click…

            Keiko turned around and realized the nurse had locked her in the room. She returned to the door and started to pull on the inner door handle.

            "Let…me…OUT! Damnit!"

            A muffled scream caused her to stop. She examined the opposite wall from her position and noticed several movable racks in front of a large iron door.

            "Ha. And to think I almost gave her some credit. Idiot locked me in the room I was trying to find." 

            She pushed three racks to the sides and examined the door. It was featureless except for a simple iron handle.

            With an inch wide chain-link chain connected from the handle to a socket in the wall, secured with a basic key-lock.

            Keiko ignored the newer lock and pulled on the chain. It was showing its age, and rust flakes came off in her hand. She called upon some of her inner strength, braced a leg against the wall, and started to pull back upon the chain.

_            Come…on. It can't be that good._

            Two of the links bent under the pressure. "Little more…"

            Her hair fluttered gently around her face, and the bent links finally gave. She let go and the chain dropped to the floor with a thud. She pulled open the door, and then pushed it back. It started to re-close on its own, so she pulled on the movable racks back and wedged it between the door and doorframe, propping it open.

            "There." She announced, brushing the flakes of rust from her hands.

            The room was tiny and lit only by the light from the doorway, almost exactly what she had pictured. 

            What she wasn't ready for were more chains.

            Karasu lay on his side, facing away from her, in a far corner of the room. Keiko walked over to him, and shook his shoulder gently. "You alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

            No response.

            He was bound by several interlocking chains, which feed into several holes in the wall behind him. Upon examination, to Keiko's disappointment, the chains were not actually attached to the wall, but went through the wall, and were attached on the other side to something she couldn't quite make out. On top of that, they looked to be brand new.

            She pulled on one of the chains, and was met with the sound of metal scraping against stone. She winced. "Eck. That was a nasty sound." She complained aloud.

            The sound caused Karasu to stir. "Mhm?" He muttered, sitting up as best as possible with the chains. He pulled his knees up to his chest, and held onto them.

            Keiko bent down next to him. "You hurt?"

            He stared at the open doorway and was silent.

            Eh? 

            Keiko put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I'm talking to you. You okay?"

            A moment of silence passed.

            The rack that Keiko had wedged in the doorway was pulled out, and the door slammed shut on them. She jumped and backed up slightly.

            Karasu screamed, but Keiko was unable to register what had happened.

            "Did it work its way out? The door was really heavy." She mumbled in the sudden darkness.

            She could hear the sound of metal-against-stone again, then the sound of something metallic banging against the other side of the wall. 

            "Hey, relax, okay? Getting all exciting isn't going to help."

            Although she couldn't see him, she was convinced his level of panic was steadily rising. Oddly enough, she wasn't panicking.  Being confined was one of those things she was somewhat used to. The darkness was an added issue, however.

            "I don't like the dark." She whined. "Where are you?"

            She received a smack from a chain to the left side of the head, seemingly as a response.

            "Oww! Watch it! Where are you?" She complained, pulling on the chain that had smacked into her, forcing him to fall into her. "Why does it seem like I always end up hurt around you?"

            He trembled, and she found herself holding onto him.

            _What the heck am I doing? She wondered._

            She felt metal smack into her already wounded shoulder, and she saw colors float through her vision in response. "Uh…ooh…not good." She stammered, and grabbed at what had hit her, which turned out to be his arm. She pulled both of his arms in, pinned him, and held onto him from behind, trying to avoid getting another blow.

            She ended up pushing on the stab wound, and he screamed again.

            "Stop it! Stop screaming for GOD's sake!"

            "Keiko!" Someone called over an intercom

            It was her Grandfather. "Hello? Help!" She yelled.

            "Are you alright? What happened?"

            Karasu bent back and rammed his head into the bottom of her jaw. She pulled him back down and held on tighter. "I seem to have gotten myself into a situation." She turned her attention to Karasu then. "STOP THAT!"

            He hissed in response.

            "Hmm." Her Grandfather commented. "Seems so. I'm sorry, but I cannot help you, nor should I bother, considering you refused to follow my advice."

            Curse words ran through her mind.

            "I will speak with you when this is over." He explained, and the intercom shut off.

            Karasu started fighting her again. "I'm…gonna have…a few words for him, for sure!"

            She held on tightly, putting her head between his shoulder and his head, and her arms around his upper chest. "Stop it now. You have to stop fighting me. I'm not the one who did this."

            His hair brushed against her and she took note of its softness again, which caused her heart to skip a beat. _Ack__! What the hell is wrong with me?! This is serious! _

            He grabbed onto her wrist and squeezed, and it was she who let out the scream this time. She grabbed onto his wrist and yanked it away, but it also loosened her grip, and he squirmed out of her grasp. He pushed back against her, knocked her onto her back. With a few missed grasps, and a bit of luck on his part, he managed to land a hand on her neck, and started to push down. After a few moments, the pain began to build, and she felt herself changing into an animalistic state.

            _Oh god, he might actually be able to…to…to…kill me…in this state. She realized, her mind becoming fuzzy._

            She tried pushing back his arm, but he was placing too much weight on it to push it back, and she was growing weaker as her oxygen was slowly being cut off. She started to push his arm gently to her left, and she felt his grip weaken slightly. She forced both of her arms into his, and he grip broken, causing him to fall on top of her, startled.

_            Uh…_

            Keiko fumbled for a moment to find the collar of his shirt, and upon finding it, held onto it. I want to do it. I wanna try it. I've never even wanted to try, now I have to…I want to. She realized.

            She pulled him up slightly, and he shuttered. She bent slightly, to where she thought his neck was, just above the collar, and bit down into his neck. Unfortunately, she missed slightly, and only landed one fang in the correct place. Regardless, he stopped moving upon contact. 

            She pulled back slightly and pushed him up, and she could smell the coppery scent of fresh blood. She sat up and licked at the wound with the tip of her tongue, causing him to go limp, and fall backwards onto his back. 

            Keiko sat back on her knees. "I…this is wrong…what am I doing?" She muttered. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have done that. It's…I'm no different that what…who…caused this whole mess in the first place."

            She heard the chains rattle as he rolled onto his side. Had she been able to see more clearly, she would have noticed that he shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep then.

            The scratching of metal against metal was heard, and the iron door was pulled open, letting light float in. He tied it back to the other wall, stopping it from automatically closing again.

            Her Grandfather stood in the doorway, back-lighted to the point that he was heavily shadowed. "Are you alright now?"

            She rubbed her eyes as they tried to adjust to the change in light. "I'm fine."

            "If you plan to leave, you're going to be wanting this." He explained, holding up her katana in the shadows. He laid it on the floor, and kicked it over to her.

            She picked it up and held onto it, and then stood up. "You're letting us go?"

            "After he's recovered, yes."

            Keiko was slightly confused "Why are you letting him go?"

            "Because he's no longer my concern. He's your concern now. "

            "I see." She answered with a sigh. "I just wanted to stop him."

            "Is that really all you wanted?"

            No…er….yes!...err…maybe? Her mind babbled.

            She stared at Karasu in silence.

            "He is strange, Keiko. His memories are strange, and he says strange things about his soul. I suggest you err on the side of caution at all times." He advised. "Now come out and give him a little time to sleep."

            Keiko walked to the doorway and was somber. "I'm sorry. I do realize what I've done, and I'm not proud of it."

            He put a hand on her shoulder. "Child, this is not the battle that concerns me; it's what you haven't seen realized yet that worries me."

            She looked up at him. "Grandfather?"

            He turned and walked away.

            She sat down on the floor outside the iron door, and covered her face with her hands. _Oh lord, what have I done? And…poor Kyosuke…what have I done to him? _

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1. "Karasu" is Japanese for "raven," and is a reference to his bird-like features and dark hair.

* "Mother, Father" by _The__ Dave Matthews' Band_

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